


Revelations II - part 2: Search and Rescue

by Katef



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-25
Updated: 2010-10-25
Packaged: 2019-06-13 03:34:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 23,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15355329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katef/pseuds/Katef
Summary: Continuing on from Part 1 - 'The Visit'Blair and Adam fight to survive while Jim, Jake and Isaac use every means at their disposal to rescue their loved ones from their ruthless kidnappers.





	Revelations II - part 2: Search and Rescue

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Elaine, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Artifact Storage Room 3](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Artifact_Storage_Room_3) and was moved to the AO3 as part of the Open Doors project in 2018. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are the creator and would like to claim this work, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Artifact Storage Room 3’s collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/artifactstorageroom3/profile).
> 
> **Author's notes:**
> 
> Apologies for the delay in posting, but a minor edit turned into a major re-write!
> 
> Please note that Springvale, Iowa is my creation. If such a place actually exists, again, my apologies.

****_Previously: Yelling in fury, Blair moved to dive round the car to go to his cousin’s aid when a hard blow to the side of his head stunned him, to be followed milliseconds later by another shock so agonising that the lights went out, and he knew no more.............. End ‘Revelations II’ pt 1 – The Visit  
_ ****_Now continued in ‘Revelations II’ pt 2 – ‘Search & Rescue’  
_ ******_Chapter 7  
_ ** ********__

Search.  Somewhere near Cascade, WA. Tuesday evening.

__

Adam swam slowly towards partial consciousness, groggily trying to make sense of the varying input into his confused and weary mind.  He was unable to move, even if he had the strength to try, due to the bindings on his wrists and ankles, and he could see nothing through the blindfold covering his eyes.  Speaking would have been out of the question also, as tape had been stuck tightly over his mouth, but as yet he was far too disorientated for panic.  He ached all over, and a faint feeling of nausea tried to make itself known.  He was vaguely aware of the sensation of motion and the sound/vibration of tyres over tarmac and gravel, and half-heard a few muttered comments from close by: 

“Shit, Murphy, why’d you have to belt the Doc?  That’s what the taser was for.  Dropped the kid quick enough.” 

(Mumbled response) then “If he’s hurt bad and we lose out on the reward, I’m takin’ it out of your hide, you stupid fucker!” 

(Further mumble) “Yeah, well, just keep hoping he’s OK.  The client specifically wanted them undamaged, at least for now. Got to look good on screen.........” 

Before he could analyse the fragments of conversation, Adam succumbed to another wave of dizziness and pain, and gave up the fight to stay awake..........

\------------------------

Back in the loft, night was drawing on, and Jim was growing more and more concerned about the non-appearance of Adam and his Guide.  Although he knew that 7.30 was the earliest he should expect them, as it was a given that Blair would be delayed by enthusiastic members of his audience wanting to congratulate him, 8.30 pm had come and gone, and they still hadn’t arrived. 

Finally giving in to the urge to phone Blair, knowing that he would probably get it in the neck for ‘mother-henning’ from his feisty Guide, he dialled anyway, and waited impatiently for a reply. 

When the cell phone message came up as unavailable, he wasn’t unduly worried at first, as Blair could well have forgotten to turn his phone back on after finishing his lecture, so he dialled Adam instead, knowing that the younger man would have made sure his cell was available for possible incoming calls from Jake. 

However, that number also came up as unobtainable, and Jim was now officially worried about the cousins’ whereabouts.  Rather than waste more time phoning the U, since it was highly unlikely he would get any sort of reasonable response at this time of night, he grabbed the keys to his truck and left the loft, intending to drive to Rainier himself to see if he could come up with any clue as to what was delaying the young men. 

Approaching Hargrove Hall, it didn’t take Sentinel vision to spot the activity taking place at the far side of the parking lot at the furthest point from the building, centred on and around Blair’s SUV.  Pulling up sharply a short distance from the group, he jumped out of the truck and strode towards a uniformed figure he immediately recognised as Suzanne Tomaki, who still held the position of Head of Campus Security. 

She, along with two other security guards was circling the hybrid, while a couple of worried-looking students looked on from the periphery.  Swinging around at Jim’s call, she walked quickly up to him, cell phone clutched in hand. 

“Jim!  I was just about to call you!  Look, we don’t know whether there’s anything to worry about, but these two” and she indicated the students “have just come forward because they think they may have seen something strange regarding Blair and his cousin.  Blair’s vehicle is obviously still here, and it’s locked, but his backpack is stowed on the back seat, and it looks like his cousin’s bag is in the front passenger footwell also.  Just no sign of them!” 

While she talked, Jim circled the car himself, automatically using his senses to catalogue the scene.  Thanks to years of practice and Blair’s continued guidance, he could do so with relative ease under most conditions these days, so was immediately able to pick up his beloved Guide’s scent, which was distressingly tainted with fear and anger.  Adam’s so-similar scent was also present, likewise tainted, the whole overlain with a faint residual static/electrical charge which immediately – and horrifyingly – suggested to the angry Sentinel the aftermath resulting from using a taser or similar stunning weapon. 

Switching to sight, he ‘piggybacked’ scent on to it, quickly seeing/smelling a tiny spot of his lover’s precious blood on the pavement beside the front wheel on the driver’s side of the hybrid.  Holding up a finger to halt Tomaki’s running commentary, he squatted down and pointed to the blood spot barking out “Here!  This blood needs analysing immediately, but you’ll find it’s Blair’s.  They’ve been snatched!” 

“How can you know that? Oh!  Right!” Tomaki asked, then immediately answered herself.  This was Jim Ellison, after all, and she was well aware of the ‘open secret’ concerning the sentinel senses. 

Turning away, she dialled swiftly and spoke rapidly to the operator, asking to be put through to the PD. 

Meanwhile, Jim was doing some phoning of his own, speed-dialling Simon Banks who he knew would be at home, having spent most of the afternoon and early evening with the man. 

The phone was picked up on the second ring as the big African American Deputy Chief answered, saying “Jim? What is it, man?” already having checked out the call recognition function. 

“Hey, Simon.  Look, I’m sorry to disturb you again, but I need your help.  I’m sure Blair and Adam’ve been snatched.  I’m at the U in the parking lot near Hargrove Hall, and his car’s here.  It’s locked, and their packs are inside, but there’s no trace of them, and, Simon, there’s a spot of Blair’s blood on the pavement.  There are scuff marks and tyre tracks nearby also.  Can you get things moving for me?” 

“Sure, Jim.  Do you want me to come to the U now, or shall I meet you at the PD?  I’m going to boot this straight to H at MCU.  Might as well make use of my influence.” 

“Thanks, Simon, I appreciate it.  If you can get the forensics team over here a.s.a.p so I can show them what we’ve got so far, I’ll meet you at the PD afterwards.  By the way, there’re a couple students who think they witnessed something going down.  You sending anyone over to interview them here?” 

“I’ll come over myself, Jim, once I’ve got things moving.  Can’t have my friends disappearing without doing everything I can to get them back.  See you in about 30, Jim.  And try not to worry too much, although I know that’s easier said than done with the local ‘Trouble Magnet’ back in form.” 

“Yeah, you said it, Simon.  Except it’s ‘Trouble Magnet’ x 2 now.  Adam seems to have inherited the same trait” Jim replied sadly. 

“Hey, hang on in there, Jim.  I’ll see you soon, OK?” said Simon, voice roughened in sympathy, before terminating the call. 

Pocketing his phone, Jim sighed deeply before turning back to Tomaki and her colleagues.  

“Deputy Chief Banks will be here in about half an hour and forensics are on their way.  He said that MCU’ll be taking the case, so I hope that won’t be a problem?” he stated, knowing that if it did ruffle Campus Security’s feathers, he couldn’t care less as long as his lover and his young friend were returned unharmed.

\--------------------

**_Springvale, Iowa: the same evening._**

Jake leaned against the rails surrounding the deck stretching out behind his parent’s large house on the outskirts of Springvale.   He needed a bit of personal space, having been constantly on call by his Mom and other family members over the past few days, and was happy to take the opportunity of escaping outside for a few snatched minutes despite the evening chill.  Resting his head on his folded arms, he thought back over the last 48 hours or so since his father’s death and on how it had altered his whole family dynamic. 

He considered his family history, having heard the story from his Grandma so often.  He had been told how around 40 years ago the young Randolf (Randy) Simmons had arrived in Springvale from upstate Iowa to start work as a salesman for the local agricultural suppliers.  Confident, ambitious and smart, the young man had quickly made his mark, and soon met, wooed and won Mariette Holst, only daughter of the biggest and most influential landowner in the area. 

By dint of hard work and relentless social climbing, not to mention shamelessly using the prestige of his new in-laws, Randy eventually bought out the business, building it up firstly into the largest, then eventually the only agricultural supply company in the region, ruthlessly undercutting and ousting the opposition.  Even during the recent economic down-turn, the business had remained viable, and it had long been expected that Jake, as the only son, would follow in his father’s footsteps and carry on running the company. 

Jake was well aware that he had had a privileged childhood, enjoying the freedom and support afforded by being the offspring of a successful businessman and with the Holsts as his maternal grandparents.  He had several cousins, equally well-heeled, the children of his mother’s older brother who had settled in the area to farm the property adjoining that of his grandparents.  Both of the latter were still hale and hearty, vigorously maintaining their interest in and social status within the local community. 

Tall, athletic, good-looking and smart, Jake had excelled at sport and performed more than adequately in the academic department.  However, he had failed to live up to his family’s expectations when he had announced his intention to study Forensic Science at college, rather than the business studies which would enable him to take on his father’s company, and his bisexuality remained a secret from family and the community at large.  Even more of a closely guarded secret was his infatuation with and pursuit of the young Adam Browning, foster child of another couple farming in the area. 

Jake smiled grimly to himself as he imagined the outcry if he had succumbed to temptation and allowed Adam to accompany him on this visit.  There was no way he would have been able to refrain from touching that dear little body and taking the comfort so freely offered by his beloved partner, and he would never allow Adam to be reviled by his family and their friends.  Just the thought of those wide eyes and earnest gaze was enough to bring a little moisture to his own eyes.  Shaking his head a little, he glanced at his watch, realising that more time had passed than he had thought, and that Adam had yet to call him. 

Frowning at the lateness of the hour, for a moment he was tempted to indulge in a flash of self-pity, imagining that Adam was having too good of a time in Cascade to bother to call him at the agreed hour.  However, he quashed that thought almost immediately, knowing full well that Adam would never deliberately let him down, confident in his young lover’s care and love for him. 

Growing uneasy now, he decided he would call Adam instead, just in case there was some problem preventing his lover from contacting him.  Pulling his cell phone out of his jacket pocket, he almost dropped it went it rang out.  Recognising the number as that of Jim Ellison, he answered with not a little trepidation. 

“Hey, Jim.  How’s things?  I was expecting a call from Adam but he’s late.” 

“Jake, yeah.  Look, there’s no easy way to tell you this so I’ll come straight out with it” Jim began.  “It may not be as bad as it looks, but I have to tell you that Blair and Adam seem to have been snatched.  We’ve got no idea who or why yet, just that they were apparently taken on their way back to the car after Blair’s lecture at the U.  Now I know it’s pointless telling you not to worry, but, under the circumstances I’m thinking that you should maybe get your father’s funeral over with tomorrow before coming back here.  I’ll keep in touch and let you know the second we have any news, or if a demand of some sort comes in.”  Here Jim paused, worried by the silence at the other end of the call. 

“Jake, son, you with me?  Did you get all that?” 

Swallowing hard and forcing down the scream of denial wanting to escape his lips, Jake coughed before croaking out “Yeah, yeah, Jim, I got it.  Look, thanks for letting me know so quickly, but I’ve got to think.  I’ve got to get my head round this.” 

“OK, son, take a moment.  I know only too well how you’re feeling” Jim responded, sincerity saturating his tone. “Bury your Dad and make peace with your family, then come back here.  I promise you we’ll be doing our utmost here.  I love that boy, and, well, you know that Blair’s my life, no question.” 

Swallowing hard again in an attempt to control his distress, Jake eventually managed to speak. “OK, Jim.  I’ll do what you suggest.  I’ll stay for the actual funeral tomorrow morning, but then I’ll be on my way to Cascade.  I won’t be staying for the wake.  I’ll leave as soon as I get out of church.  I ‘m trusting you to keep me in the loop, and I appreciate your calling me.  I gotta go now.” 

Scrubbing his hands roughly over his face, Jake worked hard to choke back the sob that threatened to escape while retreating to the side of the deck furthest from the house and its occupants, unable to face his family’s demands and insincere enquiries for long moments.  Finally gaining a little more control, he squared his shoulders and returned to the house to explain his change of plans, knowing that it was going to be a very long night.

\---------------------------

Meanwhile, Jim was making yet another equally difficult call to Isaac Goldstein in San Francisco to tell him that his son and nephew had disappeared.  Shocked and horrified at first hearing the news, Isaac quickly rallied, and assured Jim that he would be readying all his available resources to go into action as soon as there was something even remotely useful to go on. 

“I know it’s very likely arrogant of me to make the assumption, Jim” he said, “But I’m pretty certain that this will turn out to be a ransom demand aimed at making me hand over a substantial amount of money for Blair and Adam’s return now our relationship is public knowledge.  I’ll contact Dr McKinley at Bay Independent, and get her to start things moving and be ready to give the SFPD the heads-up as soon as the demand comes in, and I’ll ready the jet to get me to Cascade.  I should be with you in the early hours of the morning.  In the meantime, take care, son.  I know you’ll be doing everything you can to track these animals down.” 

“You got that right, Isaac” replied Jim, grinding his teeth in barely contained anger.  “I’ve called Jake in Iowa, and he’s coming back here straight after his Dad’s funeral tomorrow.” 

“Right, OK.  I’ll call him myself and tell him I’ll be sending the Lear on to his nearest airfield so he can fly back to Cascade immediately.  Thanks for letting me know so quickly, Jim, and I’ll see you soon.” 

Putting his cell phone away in his pocket, Jim turned back to where Simon stood nearby talking with a couple of detectives from MCU, and to Henri Brown who was now the unit’s senior detective and acting Captain. Several uniforms were busy securing the area around Blair’s SUV for the arrival of the CSIs while another pair escorted the two potential student witnesses to their patrol car to take them downtown to make their statements.   From now on they would all have to be prepared to spring into action as soon as the kidnappers made contact, assuming that there would indeed be a ransom demand.  Jim didn’t dare contemplate any other more deadly reason for the disappearance........!

**_San Francisco, same evening:  
_ **

Michael Malone Jnr was furious.  He had been elated when Ernie Baker had called in with the confirmation that Sandburg and Browning were at Rainier as planned, and that the other members of Malone’s team of thugs were in place.  He had been almost beside himself with gleeful anticipation that his plans were coming together, only to be informed a short while later that one of the idiots had clubbed Dr Sandburg unnecessarily during the capture, and as yet no one had much idea of how serious the injury was. 

Malone’s anger had nothing to do with sympathy, or particular concern for the injured man, but he had had no intention of damaging the victims at the outset, only intending to resort to threats of bodily harm if Goldstein proved to be more obstinate than expected after the initial demands had been made.  

Taking a large gulp from the snifter of expensive brandy clutched in his hand, he told himself that he just had to accept the fact that the damage was done, and continue as planned, hoping that Dr Sandburg was only temporarily incapacitated. 

Staring out of his den window, he contemplated the situation so far.  He had planned his campaign as meticulously as he was capable of.  Throughout his somewhat variable and less-than-stellar business career, Malone had had no problem with using the occasional shortcut or unethical means by which to achieve the desired outcome.  Integrity was all well and good in theory, but in Malone’s experience it was frequently impractical under so many sets of circumstances. 

Thus it was that he had cultivated some pretty nefarious contacts over time so that it had proved to be fairly simple to assemble a team to set up and carry out the snatch in Cascade. 

Using the expertise of a brilliant but greedy and amoral young computer technician from his ill-fated IT project, he had set up an untraceable (he believed) web link by which he could contact Goldstein, and also a live feed of the kidnap victims to whet Goldstein’s interest and convince him of Malone’s serious intent.  Once an appropriate holding location had been secured and fitted out in the forest outside Cascade, all the necessary electronic equipment had been set up to record the victims and supply the means of communication between Malone, his employees and Goldstein. 

Malone had procured the illicit cell phones for himself and the kidnappers which would be used for one purpose only, to communicate between themselves for the duration of the scheme, and which would be destroyed as soon as the operation was completed. 

Initial contact with Goldstein would be made using another stolen phone and voice distorting device which would be destroyed once the relevant information and instructions had been delivered.  Exactly how long the victims would be held thenceforward was entirely dependent on how quickly Goldstein capitulated.  However, Malone was smugly convinced that his plan was foolproof, and had already set up his escape route from the country, and the means to cover up his tracks.....! 

Meanwhile, back in Cascade, Ernie Baker sat in his somewhat scruffy and cluttered apartment sipping thoughtfully at a generous slug of scotch.  He had deliberately left the Rainier campus before the actual snatch immediately after making his final report to Malone, and ensuring that the team was in place, as he had no intention of being implicated in anything other than routine surveillance in his capacity as a PI. 

He knew himself to be a pragmatist who had never been particularly troubled by conscience in his long career, but this time he felt an uncomfortable twinge of unease, knowing how well thought of Dr Sandburg was in both academic and forensic circles, not to mention his ongoing personal relationship with ex Cop of the Year and local hero Jim Ellison. 

Yes, he was definitely going to keep his head down for a while once the proverbial hit the fan when the ransom demands were made!

**_Chapter 8  
_ **

**_Somewhere in the Cascade National Forest:  
_ **

The second time Adam regained consciousness; it was to a rude awakening.  The first thing he was aware of was of rough hands gripping his already bound wrists and pinning his arms above his head.  Other hands were tugging at his belt and zipper to pull his jeans down his legs.  Terror surged as he was immediately assailed by flashbacks to Delaney’s groping and assaults, and, panic stricken, he tried to wrench his arms free while kicking out as violently as he could manage against the restraining hands.  His eyes flew open, and he found that he was no longer blindfolded, but the rough, gloved hands belonged in fact to two large, obviously angry and threatening but anonymous figures, faces disguised by ski masks, but still allowing him a good look at furiously glittering eyes and grim mouths spewing out filthy expletives at his sudden reactions.  The tape still covering his mouth prevented him from giving vent to the scream of horror wanting to escape, and his eyes desperately sought his captors’ as he pleaded wordlessly for mercy.  With his cries reduced to muffled whimpers, he gazed from one to the other, seeking guidance. 

“Shit, hold still, you little fucker!” grunted the man trying to restrain his legs, and Adam instinctively froze, succumbing immediately to his residual conditioning from his previous kidnapping.  Body language and facial expression telegraphing his compliance, he lay still, trembling in frightened anticipation. 

“Bout fucking time” muttered the other man.  “Now hold still unless you want us to taser you again. S’all the same to me!”  Locking gazes as he had been trained to do, Adam shook his head, trying to convey his obedience. 

Exchanging glances with his companion, the first man said “OK, let’s get on with it.  We’re getting you out of these clothes, kid, but as long as you behave, you can keep your shorts and tee.  We won’t be releasing your hands, but if you’re obedient, I’ll remove the gag.  But any screaming or whining, and it goes straight back on, right?  Not that anyone but us could hear you out here anyway.  Behave yourself, and you’ll be OK.  Do you agree?” 

Nodding enthusiastically, Adam looked at him with wide-eyed supplication, to be rewarded eventually by quick nods of acceptance from both captors. 

At Adam’s continued stillness, the first man nodded again, and continued to remove Adam’s jeans, socks and shoes while the second man held him securely with a heavy hand pressing down on his chest.  Once stripped to his boxers, he was pulled up into a sitting position and his cuffed hands were held securely in front of him while one wrist was released.  Yanking his jacket and shirt open and down over his shoulders, the second man pulled the clothing off and over his hands before re-cuffing his wrists. 

“Skinny little runt, ain’t ya?” he muttered.  “Pretty, though.  No wonder your boyfriend’s worried.  Bet he’ll be pushing real quick to get you released, eh?” 

Looking up at him, Adam daringly pointed to his mouth, hoping that the men would take the hint and allow him to remove the tape. 

“Sure, kid, as long as you don’t give us any grief.  Peel it off” and Adam complied with alacrity. 

“Thank you” he whispered with obvious sincerity.  “I’ll be good, I promise.  B b b but please, where’s Blair?” 

“Right behind you, kid” sneered the first man.  “He should be waking soon.” 

Immediately distracted from his own predicament, Adam peered worriedly round him, and saw Blair trussed up and huddled on the adjacent bunk, also stripped down to his underwear, but with a badly-applied bandage on the side of his head and dark bruising beginning to show around his cheek and temple. 

“Oh my god!  Please, please let me see to him!  I’ll look after him, really!  Please don’t hurt him anymore!” 

Shrugging in apparent unconcern, the first guy said “Sure. Go ahead.  Saves us the bother!  You need the bathroom first?  I sure don’t need any mess!” 

Swallowing hard, Adam nodded, wanting nothing more but to appease his captors and divert their attention from his injured cousin. 

Gripping his upper arm in a firm hold, the second man pulled him off the pallet and on to his feet, where he swayed for a second or two before regaining his balance. 

“This way, and no trying anything” the man growled, pulling Adam out of the bare room and towards a utilitarian but functional bathroom.  “Go ahead, kid.  And I’m not going anywhere, so get used to it!” 

Blushing furiously, Adam complied.  Although he hated the situation, it was so reminiscent of his previous captivity that he was able to obey without question.  At least this guy wasn’t pawing at him all the time like Delaney had.  Perhaps he wouldn’t even hurt him if he did as he was told!  

Smirking in grim amusement at Adam’s dispirited obedience, his captor tugged him around and out of the room, giving him no time to take in his surroundings before yanking him back into the bare concrete cell.  Pushing him back down on his bunk, he spoke to his companion, saying “Good as gold!  I don’t think he’ll be a bother.  Let him look at the Doc, and we’ll get onto the boss and let him know we’re nearly ready for the show.” 

Nodding in acceptance, the second man rose from the other bunk where he had been perched, and made for the door, saying “Sounds good to me!”  Then, over his shoulder, he addressed Adam saying “See to your cousin, kid.  Make sure he’s awake and good to go within the hour.  We need the pair of you awake and aware by then!” 

Adam nodded in acquiescence, quickly moving over to Blair’s bunk.  “I’ll do my best, I promise!” he said.  “But if I need some more bandages and supplies, can I call you?” 

“Hey, kid, you’ll be on screen the whole time!  If you need first aid stuff, we’ll see you.  Just wave and smile at the camera!” and he pointed to the faintly blinking light behind a grill on the opposite wall.  Following his indication, Adam paled at the sight, upset to know that every move would be catalogued, and undoubtedly used as blackmail ammunition for his loved ones.  Ducking his head, he whispered “OK.  I understand.  But, please, if he isn’t so good, will you get proper help?” 

“If it comes to that, I’ll take it under advisement, kid.  Meanwhile, look at your cousin, and maybe then we’ll get you some food and water.  See you!” and chuckling cruelly and nudging each other, he and his companion turned and left the cell, locking it behind them. 

Suddenly aware of the chill in the windowless concrete cell, Adam shivered in his inadequate underwear which did little to protect his rapidly cooling body.  Quickly grabbing the rough blanket off his bunk, he crossed to Blair’s pallet and tucked the extra cover over his cousin, who was beginning to stir a little, moaning softly as he became aware of the almost unbearable pain hammering in his skull.  Gently pushing Blair’s curls away from his forehead, Adam whispered “How do you feel, Blair?  Can you move at all?” 

Receiving a moan in response, he continued “It’s OK, Blair.  I’ll look after you.  Do you need some water?  I can ask for some.....” 

Just then, as Blair attempted to shake his head, he was assaulted by nausea at the pain and disorientation caused by the small movement, and Adam had to move quickly to turn and support the older man as he threw up violently onto the floor beside the bunk. 

Abused stomach finally empty, Blair rolled back on his pallet with Adam’s help, shaking with cold and shock, while Adam looked appealingly towards the blinking light of the watching camera. 

“Please, we need some help.  Please?” he begged, and was distracted immediately by the cell door opening. 

This time one of the two masked figures who entered was a different guy, taller than the other two, and he was obviously not impressed by the scene before him. 

“Christ!  What a fucking mess!  Go get a bucket and rag” he said over his shoulder to his companion.  “You” he continued pointing at Adam “get this cleaned up, and quickly!  If you want any food and water, you’d better make a good job of it, or _he’ll_ be the one to pay!” he finished, nudging Blair’s pallet with his foot. 

Nodding frantically, Adam quickly re-covered Blair with the thin blankets, and moved to take the bucket of water and bundle of rags thrust at him by the other man, who released his wrist for him to work.  Almost gagging himself at the awful stench, he hurried to wash the vomit off the concrete floor as best as he could while his captors stood back to watch at a distance.  When he had finished, the first man took the bucket away, and his companion gazed contemplatively at Adam for long moments. 

Apparently satisfied with his thoughts, he said “OK, kid.  You did well.  Keep doing as you’re told and you could get through this alright.  Well, at least from our point of view, anyhow.  I’ll leave off the cuffs for now if you keep on behaving yourself. Now, see if you can get him to sit up so we can get some good pictures of the two of you for the boss.” 

Nodding in acquiescence, Adam moved back to Blair’s bunk and stroked his cousin’s pale cheek, saying softly “Can you sit up, Blair?  I think we can have some water and food if you’re up to it, but the man says we have to be filmed.  Do you think you can sit up for a bit if I hold you?” 

Despite the barely-diminished throbbing in his skull, Blair forced himself to open his eyes, still wary of moving because of the incipient nausea, but responding to the fear in his young cousin’s voice.  Coughing harshly to clear his throat, he croaked out “Hey, cuz.  Looks like we got ourselves in a mess, huh?  Give me a few, and I’ll try to move, OK?” 

At his quiet words, Adam couldn’t help but offer a small grin of relief, and his captor nodded in approval. 

“OK, Doc.  Sorry about the headache.  Wasn’t supposed to happen like that, but shit happens when you employ idiots” and he laughed harshly at his own joke.  “Behave yourself like the kid here, and you won’t get hurt.  Not until we’re told otherwise, that is!” 

Grunting with effort, Blair moved slightly, and slowly, with Adam taking most of his weight, he managed to get up into a sitting position.  Breathing heavily with the effort of trying to control the pain and the feel of the sickening swaying motion threatening to make him throw up again, he gradually opened his eyes to squint blearily up at the large masked figure before him. 

“Filming, huh?” he muttered.  “Make sure you get my good side then.  Can’t let my public down.” 

Momentarily taken aback, their captor paused for a second before bursting out laughing.  “Hey, Doc, you got balls!  I’ll say that for you!  OK, now, just lean against your little cousin here, and smile at the camera!”  And with that, he stepped back out of shot, as the cousins looked over towards the blinking light. 

Minutes later, the man approached them again.  “That’ll be enough for the first clip.  ‘Course, you’re being filmed all the time, so don’t think you can get away with anything.  We’ll only be asking you to pose for us when we’re told to, otherwise it’ll just be like CCTV.  I’m going to send in some food and water now, and a portable pisser for you, Doc, ‘cos I doubt you could make it to the can right now.  Be good, boys!” and, chuckling at his own questionable humour, he left the cell. 

Sagging more heavily against Adam as his small reserves of strength bled away, Blair sighed before murmuring “Hey, cuz, sorry you had to clean up the mess.  Just hope you won’t have to do it again anytime soon.” 

“Oh Blair, it’s OK, honestly!  I just want to help you.  I hate seeing you in pain.  How do you feel now?” 

“Pretty much like shit, to tell the truth” grunted the older man.  “My head feels like it wants to drop off my shoulders, I’m seeing double, and the room keeps moving.  Wonderful!” and his face twisted as another wave of nausea threatened to overtake him. 

“Perhaps you’d better lie down again for a bit” suggested Adam worriedly.  “When the man comes back with food and water, I could wipe your face a bit if you want.  Come on, let me help you lie down, and I’m going to cover you up as much as I can.” 

“Yes, Mom!” Blair joked feebly, allowing Adam to ease him down flat again.  “Look, babe, I’m sorry to ask you, but when he brings the urinal in, I’m probably going to need help using it.  More than you signed up for, huh?” 

“It’s OK, truly.  I don’t mind at all, Blair.  I’m just so scared of what else they could do to you.  And to me......” he tailed off miserably. 

“Hey, none of that” replied Blair, rallying a little in order to comfort the younger man.  “I’m an old hand at kidnappings, you know.  This sure isn’t the first time for me.  You could almost consider me an expert on the subject!  Not that you’re any slouch in that department either” he finished, clumsily patting Adam’s arm.  “Why don’t you lie down here too, so we can keep each other warm?  Might as well make use of both blankets!” 

Smiling a little in gratitude at his older cousin’s brave and comforting words, Adam nodded and climbed carefully up behind Blair, snuggling up behind him and pulling the rough blankets over both of them before wrapping his arm carefully round the injured man to offer as much body heat as he could. 

A short while later, Adam looked up from the bunk as the cell door opened to admit one of the other captors, who smirked at the cousins’ closely-entwined position.  Blair had apparently fallen asleep again and was snoring softly in his arms. 

“Sharing body heat, eh?” he sneered.  “Looks like you’ll be sharing a whole lot more before we’re done.  Get him to eat and drink, and make sure you have something also.  It’s in all our interests to keep you in good condition for now.  Plenty of time to make things harsh later on if the ransom doesn’t come through!” he added threateningly. 

So saying, he put a tray down on the floor which held a couple of bottles of water, some film-wrapped sandwiches and a small pack of First Aid supplies, plus the promised plastic urinal.  With a final glare at the pair, he walked out of the cell, locking the door once more behind him. 

Releasing the breath he hadn’t realised he was holding, Adam eased himself away from Blair, and carefully climbed down from the bunk.  He shivered immediately in the cell’s chilled air, and quickly lifted the tray to carry it closer to the bunk.  With his teeth already beginning to chatter with cold, he resisted the temptation to take one of the blankets, as Blair’s need was most definitely greater than his at the moment. 

Looking directly at the camera, he gathered his failing courage and addressed the blinking light, hoping that it really was manned as his captors had told them. 

“Um, thank you for the food and everything.  Um, please could I have another blanket?  I’m really cold, and Dr Sandburg needs the ones we’ve got....if it’s not too much trouble....?” and he looked down, blushing and surprised at his own temerity. 

Not really expecting a successful outcome to his request, he turned back to the bunk to see that Blair’s eyes were open, and looked, if not as bright as normal, at least a little more lucid and less squinted. 

“You doing OK, cuz?” the older man muttered softly.  “You look pretty much chilled there.  Good on you for asking for a blanket.  They may well come up with one as it’s still early in the game.  If not, I want you to take one of these back, babe.  I don’t want you coming down with pneumonia or something.” 

“I’m alright for now, honest, Blair.  At least we have something to eat and drink, if you can keep it down.  But do you want to use this first?” he asked, holding up the urinal and pinking a little with embarrassment. 

“’Fraid so, cuz” replied Blair with a wry grin.  “The old bladder’s complaining pretty much now.  Can you help me to sit up? I think I can do the honours myself.  Perhaps stripping us down to our skivvies isn’t such a bad idea after all” he continued grimly.  “At least I don’t have zippers to struggle with.” 

Adam stepped forward with alacrity, and wrapped a supporting arm around Blair’s shoulders.  Gradually lifting the older man upright, he helped Blair swing his legs over the side of the cot, and held the urinal in place while Blair eased himself out of his boxers and let go.  A short while later, Blair sighed in relief before saying “Thanks, babe.  Much appreciated!  Just need to lie down again for a bit, if you don’t mind” and Adam quickly set aside the capped urinal to ease Blair back down on to the pallet where the older man scrunched up his face in weary pain. 

Truly worried now, Adam didn’t even notice when the door opened and the tallest of their captors entered carrying a spare blanket. 

“There you go, kid.  What’s up with him?” and he nodded towards Blair.  Jumping a little in surprise, Adam stammered out his thanks for the blanket before adding “Blair’s head is still hurting him.  I’m worried because he said his eyes were affected.  Please, could he be seen by a doctor?  I think he might have some sort of brain damage.” 

“Shit!” snarled the man, almost to himself.  “Fucking Murphy!  Goddam cretin!” and turning, he strode angrily out of the room without acknowledging Adam further. 

Gratefully pulling the blanket over his shoulders, Adam returned to crouch beside the cot, where he carefully damped a corner of it with water from one of the bottles, and gently began to wipe Blair’s face clear of the sweat which was beginning to bead it despite the cell’s chilled atmosphere.  Next he managed to drip a small amount between the lax lips, pleased when the older man swallowed automatically. 

Realising that his cousin wasn’t likely to rouse again for a while, he carefully opened one of the wrapped sandwiches and took a bite.  Although he had no appetite, he knew he had to keep up his energy if he was to be of any use to Blair, so he forced it down, following it with a generous drink of the opened water bottle.  Then, setting aside the other bottle and sandwich for Blair, he climbed back onto the cot, and wrapped himself around the sleeping man again, and tried to follow his cousin into slumber.

\-------------------------

**_Chapter 9  
_ **

**_Early hours of Wednesday morning, San Francisco.  
_ **

Pacing around his den in irritation, Michael Malone Jnr. ground his teeth together impatiently as he clutched the cell phone tightly in his hand.  He had stayed awake all night, anxiously tossing and turning on his recliner, worried that his beautiful planning may have gone awry already, thanks to the overly aggressive tendencies of one of his ‘hit squad’. 

Sandburg and Browning had been in his hands for nearly eight hours already, and he was only now in a position to move forward with his demands, thanks to Sandburg’s continued dazed and barely conscious state.  He had hoped to have secured a useable film clip of his captives much earlier than this with which to convince Goldstein that he meant business, but that didn’t include a film showing the man’s son unconscious, and possibly already dead!  Nevertheless, things were now looking up as he listened to the voice at the other end of the call. 

His caller was the tallest of the trio who currently held the captives, and who was undoubtedly the most intelligent of them, hence his role as leader.  The fourth member of the snatch team had merely been hired to drive the van, and was not to be involved in the negotiations.  Malone didn’t even know the man’s name, which was as he preferred it.  As for the PI, Ernie Baker, he had already been paid handsomely for his surveillance skills, and should no longer be involved in any way, the intention being that what he didn’t know, he couldn’t tell!  

However, Malone _did_ know the names of the trio holding his prisoners, and at the moment wished he’d never heard of them!  His caller, Stan Abrahams, was the older of two brothers, a hard man who completely dominated the younger one, Albie, who followed his sibling round unquestioningly like a large and unruly puppy.  The third member of the team, who had caused the problem in the first place, was a tough and brutal Irishman, Tom Murphy, and Malone was strongly tempted to tell Abrahams to do away with the idiot!  It was yet to be seen whether the man got paid for his part in the scheme. 

Wrenching his angry thoughts away from such negative topics, and concentrating on his caller’s information, he gradually calmed.  “Good, good!  So, is the Dr awake now?  No?  But you still have a clip for me.  Right!  Well, send it to me through the link, and I’ll see if it’s acceptable.  Yes, yes, do it now!  I’ve already had to wait too long.  Right!  I’m at my desk now” he continued, opening up his laptop.  “Send it through, and I’ll get back to you” and with that, he terminated the call, waiting to see what the team had come up with. 

When the clip came through, and had been downloaded, Malone sat back in satisfaction.  The short film simply showed the two cousins, stripped down to their underwear and sitting close together on a cot, looking dispiritedly towards the camera and with the younger one plainly supporting his older cousin.  There was no tell-tale sign of any of the captors, and the non-descript, anonymous cell could have been anywhere.  Yes, this would do! 

Rubbing his hands together, Malone took the stolen cell phone and voice distorter out of his wall safe, and dialled the number he had memorised a good while ago.........

\-----------------------------

Isaac Goldstein had almost reached his Cascade hotel when the call came in.  He had travelled overnight in his private jet after setting up as much as possible in anticipation of a ransom demand.  Quickly snatching up his cell phone, he saw immediately that his caller was Dr McKinley, who had been standing by with his other employees to monitor and divert any incoming calls through to him as soon as they occurred.  Sounding very much like an efficient PA to anyone listening in, she said “Good morning sir.  Telephone call for you, Mr Goldstein.  May I put it through?” 

At his affirmative, she patched him through to one of the worst calls he had ever had in his life.  A harsh, flat and plainly distorted voice told him to be silent and listen to its instructions without interruption.  He was told that his son and nephew were in the caller’s hands, and that, if he wanted to see them alive and whole again, he was to transfer twenty million dollars to an off-shore bank account no later than twenty four hours from now. 

Clutching the cell phone in a crushing grip, Goldstein forced himself to reply rationally, asking why he should believe the caller, and what proof would be offered to back up the demand. 

“Don’t worry Goldstein.  You’ll get proof.  Within the hour you will be contacted again with details of a web page.  Sign in using the password ‘mylucre2’ and follow the instructions.  And tell no one!” and with that, the caller hung up. 

Breathing heavily in cold fury, Goldstein forced his hand to relax, and looked up at the bodyguard accompanying him.  “It’s what I was expecting, Sam, but that doesn’t make it easier to listen to!  Now, we must get recordings of the call to both Cascade and the SFPD.  As soon as we reach the hotel I’ll be contacting Deputy Chief Banks to get things set up, and Mary McKinley will be doing the same in San Fran.  I’ll get them back, Sam, and I’ll get that kidnapping bastard, I swear it!” 

Forty minutes later, Isaac was ensconced in the premier suite of the Cascade Grand Hotel, completely oblivious to the room’s opulence as he paced up and down awaiting the kidnapper’s next contact.  After a further ten minutes, his cell phone rang with a message from Mary McKinley.  She reported that a small package had been delivered into her hands at Bay Independent by courier, and that it contained nothing but a single CD.  She had immediately had the courier questioned by detectives from the SFPD, but the lad knew nothing, and neither did his employers at the company’s depot, who said that the package and delivery instructions had been dropped in at the office by an anonymous and non-descript man who had raised no suspicions amongst any of the staff. 

Meanwhile, Dr McKinley had, on Goldstein’s instructions, opened the single file on the CD, and forwarded the contents to Isaac, who read the simple instructions with growing fury. 

The file included the details of the offshore bank account into which the ransom money was to be paid, and the URL for Malone’s ‘untraceable’ webpage.  With instructions to Mary to pass the information on to the SFPD, but with a request that they coordinate with Cascade PD and himself before taking further action, he was about to open the page when a knock on the door heralded the arrival of Simon Banks, who had chosen to work with Goldstein in person. 

Swiftly crossing to the other man’s side, he and Isaac stared at the simple generic page design which invited them to sign in with the password Isaac had already been supplied with.  Punching in ‘mylucre2’ Isaac was directed to a chat page where he was given instructions to download a film clip, which he did without delay. 

Both men watched with impotent fury as the slightly blurred but unmistakeable image of Adam and Blair came into view, huddled together on a cot and wearing nothing but their underwear.  Blair appeared dazed, and was being supported by a terrified-looking Adam, who was gazing at the camera with a stricken ‘deer-in-the-headlights’ expression.  After a few more minutes, the scene faded and ceased. 

“Christ!” came Bank’s heart-felt response.  “Well, now we know he isn’t joking.  I don’t see how that could possibly be faked!” 

Sighing deeply, Isaac agreed.  “I think you’re right.  I will be passing it over to my Forensic Computer specialist at Bay Independent immediately though.  If anyone can garner information or track down the source, he can.  I’ll get right on it.” 

“I need a copy for the MCU team also, as well as any other live footage” said Simon.  “We also have resources which could help.” 

“Certainly, Deputy Chief Banks” agreed Isaac, even though he had way more faith in his own people’s technical expertise.  He had no way of knowing as yet that Simon’s ‘resources’ entailed organic analysis, courtesy of one Sentinel Jim Ellison! 

Once Isaac had set the process in motion, and Simon had gathered the pertinent information, he returned to the PD, after advising Goldstein that he would send over personnel from the MCU to the hotel immediately to liaise with Isaac and set up a surveillance team, as time was now of the essence....!

\-------------------------

**_Chapter 10  
_ **

**_Earlier that morning at Cascade PD, Major Crimes Unit:  
_ **

Jim Ellison rubbed his hand over his haggard face, trying to scrub away his weariness.  He was physically and mentally exhausted by the last few hours’ activity, desperate to find some trace of his lover and young friend’s whereabouts, and some clue to the identity of their kidnapper. Stress had drawn deep lines on his brow and at the corners of his mouth, and his eyes were bloodshot, while his injured leg was protesting mightily at the activity it had been subjected to over the previous night. 

Pausing for a moment in reflection, he took stock of the MCU bullpen in which he was presently assisting as a visitor – a strange feeling after so many years as their leading detective, and especially so without his partner and Guide at his side.  Despite the late hour, the room was humming with activity, as everyone present was busy following up whatever slender leads or theories that had been turned up or proposed since the kidnapping. 

It was so familiar to the Sentinel, but at the same time, so changed.  Gone were many of the familiar faces.  Simon had been promoted to Deputy Chief and Joel had been become Captain in his place only to retire in his turn six months ago.  Henri Brown now stood in as temporary captain, and he, and most of the team, sincerely hoped that he would be confirmed in the position.  Brian Rafe had left to become a partner in a successful advertising agency, and Megan Conner had finally returned to Australia to pursue her career Down Under.  Having said that, there were still faces that he recognised, and almost all of them, even the rookies, were well versed in the larger-than-life popular tales concerning the open secret of ‘Sentinel’ Jim Ellison and Dr Blair Sandburg, his ‘Guide’. 

As Jim sat at his temporary desk, waiting for Simon Banks to return from visiting Isaac Goldstein, who was en route to Cascade from San Francisco, he reviewed the evidence gathered so far, and the flimsy leads it had generated. 

The CSIs and Forensic Department had confirmed, as Jim already knew, that the blood spot he had found had belonged to Blair, and also that the scuff marks indicated a struggle and bodies being dragged a short distance, for instance, to a mid-sized vehicle such as a delivery van, as indicated by the nearby tyre tracks.  The presence of this vehicle had been confirmed both by eye witnesses and CCTV footage.  As for Jim himself, he knew very well that an attack had taken place, purely through his olfactory capability, cataloguing the fear and anger overlaying his lover’s and Adam’s well-known scents.  However, like his ability to detect the residual charge from the taser use, this knowledge was still too insubstantial to be used in court, even though it gave the MCU detectives a better insight into the occurrence. 

As far as the witnesses were concerned, the two students who had reported the suspicious activity had provided varying degrees of useful information.  The two young women, both Criminology majors, had attended Blair’s lecture, and had left before Blair and Adam.  However, caught up in discussing both the lecture’s content and it’s attractive deliverer (not to mention that cute younger version of Dr Sandburg who had been sitting in the front row) they had stood around a short distance from the main doors of Hargrove Hall for some while before deciding to go for coffee to continue their chat. 

During that time, they noted that Blair and Adam had left the building, and were heading towards Blair’s SUV, apparently deep in lively conversation.  Three muffled figures in overalls had been ambling unconcernedly towards them on a converging path, but this wasn’t suspicious in itself as various buildings on the campus, including Hargrove Hall, were undergoing substantial refurbishment, so the presence of workmen and their vans was a common sight.  Therefore, when Blair and Adam were lost to view behind a slowly moving van approaching from the further parking lot, neither student had cause for concern.  It was only some while after the van had driven off after having apparently picked up the three workmen, that Marie Sanchez, the student who had been facing out into the lot, partially registered that the SUV was still parked up, and there was no sign of Dr Sandburg or his companion. 

She was mortified to admit later that she hadn’t really given it much thought, so deep in conversation was she with her friend, and it was only after they returned the same way after having a coffee that she saw the vehicle still parked up in solitary splendour in the lot.  At this point, she had rather worriedly explained what she thought she had seen to her friend, who had missed most of the action herself as her back had been turned towards the scene.  The friend, Alicia Hayes, had immediately insisted on alerting campus security, and the snatch was confirmed once Jim and the PD arrived on site. 

On leaving the PD after giving their statements, both girls apologised profusely to Jim for not alerting anyone earlier.  Although he assured them that they should not feel guilty, and that he was grateful for them coming forward at all, he could not help but think privately that their delay had probably assisted the kidnappers in making a clean getaway. 

Of rather more use was the CCTV footage provided by Suzanne Tomaki, which confirmed the girls’ testimonies regarding the approaching workmen and the large maintenance company van which had been parked in the other lot. 

Jim had watched the grainy film over and over again, managing to glean a few bits of useful information from the poor quality pictures. 

Forcing himself not to dwell on the few seconds in which he could plainly see Adam and his beloved Guide chatting animatedly on their way to the hybrid, Blair’s hands gesticulating wildly as usual, he concentrated instead on the shadowy figures of the three workmen, only to admit eventually that there were no distinguishing features to be seen even by his enhanced vision.  He had easily made out the lettering on the van, only for the MCU detectives to discover subsequently that the company name painted thereon did not exist.  Likewise, the plates were stolen, and the van had no doubt been abandoned at some point in favour of a different vehicle.  An APB on the van and its occupants had yet to turn up any results.  By this time, Jim was less than impressed by Rainier’s so-called ‘improved security’! 

However, one glimmer of hope remained when he paused the film yet again and had pointed out to Simon and Henri a glimpse of the driver’s face as he reached over towards the passenger door.  

“You should be able to get that enhanced” he said excitedly.  “Perhaps it can be run through the database.  I’ll bet that the guy’s a local.  Could be possible to ID him.” 

Nodding in agreement, Henri had bustled away to arrange just that, but as yet no match had been found. 

Rubbing his hand yet again over his face, Jim was convinced that there was some other clue on the footage that he had missed, but he was too exhausted at this point to think what it was. 

Regarding the older man worriedly, H approached Jim, saying “Look, babe, I know there’s no way you’d agree to going back to the loft for some sleep, but you’re dead on your feet.  How about crashing on the couch in my office for a few?  You know I’ll come get you the second we have any developments, or at least when Simon gets back.” 

Squashing down the automatic impulse to snap at the kindly suggestion, Jim sighed then said.  “OK, H.  You’re right.  I’m bushed, but I don’t want to go home.  I’ll take you up on your offer, and thanks.  I appreciate it.” 

Clapping him on the shoulder, H replied “No worries, man!” and they both shared a nostalgic grin in fond remembrance of their Australian ex colleague.

\------------------------

Jim felt as if he had barely closed his eyes when he heard a commotion in the bullpen arising from the arrival of Simon Banks.  Glancing at his watch, he realised that in fact well over an hour had passed since he had retired to H’s office, and he shook his head, trying to clear it of the cobwebs that seemed to clog it and fog up his eyes into the bargain. 

“Where’s Jim?  He’ll need to see this!” he heard his ex boss’ strident tones carry across the office, and he rose to his feet, re-energised by the excitement he could easily discern in Simon’s voice. 

“Here, Simon!  What’ve you got?” 

“The kidnapper’s been in touch with Goldstein, just as Isaac assumed he would.  He called first with a ransom demand while Isaac was on his way to the hotel, doubtless from a stolen cell phone, then sent instructions on a CD about where and when to send the money.  Isaac’s recorded and copied everything so far, of course.  More importantly, it gave him the URL of a website where he can both see live feed of Blair and Adam and also communicate with the bastards when necessary.  And there’s the original saved film clip you probably need to see, Jim, but it won’t be easy for you.  It wasn’t for me!  The good thing is that he’s already instructed his tame Forensic Computer expert to start investigating the site, and I’ve no doubt he’ll come up with information quicker than anyone at the PD, sad to say!” 

Jim was almost vibrating with impatience while his friend spoke, but contained his urge to butt into the other man’s explanation out of courtesy.  However, as soon as Simon paused for breath, he jumped in.  “The film clip, Simon.  Do you have it with you?  I really need to see it!” 

“Yeah, Jim, I do.  Here’s the copy Isaac gave me for the PD’s use.  Can we use your office, H?” and he held up a small evidence bag containing a single DVD. 

“Sure thing, Simon” replied H, already pushing his door open.  “Let’s put it on!” 

Minutes later the three men were huddled in front of H’s monitor, glued to the screen as the short film clip played out.  Jim was grinding his teeth in bitter fury at the sight of Blair’s battered face and semi-vacant expression, while his heart bled for his younger cousin’s obvious terror.  How the pair of them would get over this, he had no idea, but his determination to find and rescue them hardened impossibly more at the sight.  Insisting that H replay it, he concentrated on trying to see if there were any clues as to the pair’s location hidden within the short sequence, but could see very little to go on.  However, something about the activity jogged his memory, and he frowned, trying to hold on to the thought. 

“Simon!” he exclaimed.  “I have to see the Rainier footage again.  I think I may have remembered something!” 

“That’s great, Jim!” exclaimed H, already reaching for the evidence bags enclosing the tapes.  “Where do you want to start?” 

“I need to see the stretch prior to Blair and Adam leaving Hargrove.  Quite a bit before, in fact....” he added, frowning in concentration. 

Once the film was running, he concentrated on other areas of the parking lots rather than those occupied by the van and Blair’s hybrid, automatically noting and discounting the other vehicles coming and going until the teasing sense-memory that had been evading him surfaced. 

“There!  See that POS four door!” he exclaimed in excitement, pointing at the screen. “I know that car!  I’m sure that has been following us around over the last few days.  Mousy little man driving, and I’m sure he was in Barney’s the other night.  Can you check out that registration and get an ID?” 

“Will do, Jim.  Give me a few” said H, and he reached for his phone to make the appropriate enquiry. 

Mere minutes later, he exclaimed in satisfaction.  “Right! That’s great!  Give me the number.....” and then he looked up at his companions, eyes narrowed in righteous fury. 

“Vehicle is registered to a guy named Ernie Baker.  Lives over on Pineview in one of those run-down apartment blocks.  And get this!  He’s a registered PI!  If he was following you, babe, he must have had something to do with this.  And now we have to find a way of getting that information out of him.....” he finished thoughtfully. 

“No sooner said than done” growled Jim, “But you don’t need to know that!” 

“No, Jim.  You’re too old a hand to not know what a bad idea that is!” responded Simon.  “Listen, you make a quick bathroom run and freshen up some, then, if it’s OK with H, we’ll go see the guy together.  If there’s any way to get information out of him legally, you know we’ll do it.” 

Knowing that Simon was right, however hard it was to accept, Jim finally nodded in agreement, and headed for the locker room to shower and change into the clean clothes one of the uniforms had been persuaded to collect for him from the loft earlier that morning.  As he made his way out of the bullpen, he glanced out of the windows to see the grey dawn light already growing over Cascade.  Knowing that time was rapidly running out for the captives, he hurried his steps despite the ache in his leg, and freshened up in double quick time even by his standards. 

On his way back to the bullpen to meet up with Simon, he pulled his cell phone from his pocket, remembering that he had promised to keep Jake updated, and chagrined to think that he had fallen down on his good intentions during the hectic activity of the night and early morning.  Still, at least there was now a more promising lead to follow up on, so he had a small amount of hope to offer Adam’s lover, impatiently kicking his heels in Springvale, Iowa.

**_Chapter 11  
_ **

**_Same morning, Springvale, Iowa:  
_ **

Jim’s call found Jake still in bed, but wide awake after enduring a restless and dark dream-ridden night, and now miserably watching the sun rise over the yard and the open fields beyond.  The previous evening his mother had volubly expressed her unhappiness at his declaration that he was returning to Cascade immediately after the funeral service, unable to understand why a colleague’s disappearance was so much more important than attending his father’s wake with his family.  Too tired to argue, and certainly not about to explain his love for Adam to his narrow-minded and disproving relations, he ended the discussion with a simple statement that he had made up his mind, and that was that, adding that his employer was sending the company jet to collect him. 

Excusing himself from the family gathering, he had retreated once again to the deck, hoping against hope that Jim would call him with good news, and growing gradually unhappier as the hours dragged by with no further word. 

When the call finally came, he was too grateful to the older man to be irritated, eagerly listening to what Jim had to report. 

“Hey, Jake.  Look son, I’m really sorry I haven’t called before now, as I know you must be beside yourself with anxiety.  Thing is, we only had concrete proof that it really was a kidnapping a couple of hours ago when Isaac got a ransom demand, and he was sent instructions and a web address with which to communicate with the rat bastard that has them.  He’s sending everything back to your lab as well as to Cascade PD and SFPD, and I promise you we’re doing all we can.  I’m just about to follow up on a lead that could net us some genuine information, and I promise faithfully to let you know how it pans out.  Once you get back here, I can update you fully, and we can go forward from there.  Sound reasonable to you, son?  It’s all I can offer at the moment.” He deliberately left out the part about the film clip for now, knowing that he might well be castigated for the omission later, but for now wanting to spare Jake any further pain.  The guy had more than enough to contend with in the next few hours without his imagination running riot with the images a description of the footage could provoke. 

“It’s OK, Jim.  I understand that you must be busy, truly, and I get that you won’t have the time to call me every few minutes.  It’s just so hard to be stuck here not being able to help.  I guess that once it’s over, I’ll have the luxury of time to grieve for my Dad, but for now, all I want is to hold Adam again and know he’s safe.” 

“I hear that” said Jim in gentle empathy.  “We’ll get them back, Jake.  I swear it.  I don’t know how yet, but I’ll do it.” 

“I believe you, man.  And I’ll see you this afternoon.  Good hunting, Jim” and Jake rang off, feeling slightly less isolated, and just a tiny bit more hopeful.  Perhaps he could weather the next few hours with relative equanimity after all, knowing that he would be back in Cascade before nightfall. 

Deciding that he might as well get up and out before all the other houseguests started to rouse, he pulled on his robe and went to the en suite bathroom to shower, and pulled on casual sweats to wear until it was time to change into his dark suit and black tie for the funeral.  The public viewing had already taken place at the funeral home the previous evening, and Jake felt vaguely guilty that he had taken little note of his father’s stern face, composed in death, because he had been far more concerned about his lover’s fate at the time.  He comforted himself with the thought that he would be able to see his father once again at the service before the casket was closed for good, then turned his attention once more to more mundane things such as packing everything he could in anticipation of his early departure. 

He knew it would take a long time for his mother to forgive him for not only leaving early but also for failing to reassure her that he would be returning any time soon to take over the running of the business.  He had insisted many times in the recent past that he had never intended to follow in his father’s footsteps, exhorting his Mom to let one of his very able – and enthusiastic – cousins run it for her until she decided what to do with it in due course.  Unfortunately, she had apparently never taken his arguments seriously before now and the growing frostiness in her demeanour towards her only son over the past few days was noticeable to (and not necessarily unwelcomed by) his closest relations. 

Nevertheless, Jake thought, as he took a brisk early morning walk across part of his grandparent’s sprawling acres, he would get through this service, teeth gritted if needs be, and then he would be free to search for his love.  He couldn’t let himself believe for one moment that Adam wouldn’t be found alive and whole, or he would surely have gone mad with grief.

\------------------------

Back in Cascade, Jim and Simon were driving towards Pineview and Ernie Baker’s address as quickly as they legally could, closely followed by another unit as backup. Jim was champing at the bit in his urgency to tackle the unfortunate PI for his information, convinced that the man could well hold the key to identifying the evil mastermind behind the kidnapping. 

As he drove, Simon glanced over at his companion before saying “Look Jim, I’ve known you for years, and I’ve come to terms with your abilities for the most part, but I have to ask, are you really sure about this guy?  Don’t take offence, now, but how did you do it this time?” 

Too tired to respond with any anger at the honest enquiry, Jim simply sighed and tried to explain.  With a wry smile he said “Blair would explain this much better, but basically he told me that, as a Sentinel, I would unconsciously register potential threats to the ‘tribe’ and store them as ‘sense memories’ to be pulled out later as needed.  In this instance, I must have subconsciously realised that this guy was following us, and automatically remembered the car and plate number.  I must also have seen and scented the man, and when we get to the apartment, I know I’ll be able to isolate his scent.  It’s much easier to do with Blair grounding me” he continued sadly “but he’s schooled me well enough over the years that I can do it myself if necessary.” ‘As long as I can hear his voice in my head’ he thought, but kept that notion to himself. 

Reaching over to pat Jim’s knee reassuringly, Simon replied.  “It still never ceases to amaze me what you two are capable of, but I believe you, Jim.  Let’s just hope he rolls over on his client without too much prompting” and with that, they drove the rest of the short distance in contemplative silence. 

Minutes later they were knocking at Baker’s scuffed apartment door, and Jim had already confirmed to Simon that the man was both present, and matched his ‘scent memory’.  With the two uniforms standing behind them, he and Simon waited impatiently for the PI to open his door to them.  “Cascade PD, Mr Baker.  Open up please!” called Simon, holding up his ID to the peep hole.  Seconds later the chain and dead bolt slid back, and an unremarkable middle-aged man stepped aside to let them in. 

“Let’s not beat about the bush, Mr Baker” began Simon.  “We know you’ve been following Mr Ellison here and his partner Dr Sandburg.  We need to know who was employing you.  It could be a matter of life and death.” 

“Deputy Chief Banks, you know I can’t release that information without a warrant.  Who would employ a PI who disregarded client confidentiality?” 

“If you don’t give up his name, _no one_ will be employing you again” snarled Jim, trying to shake off Simon’s restraining hand on his arm.  “My partner has been snatched, undoubtedly set up by your surveillance.  If he comes to any harm, I promise you, you’ll pay!” 

Swallowing hard, Baker responded “Is that a threat, Mr Ellison?  Because if it is, I can honestly say that I saw no kidnap taking place.  And that’s the truth!” 

Grinding his teeth in frustration, Jim was forced to concede that in this instance his senses confirmed that the man was telling the literal truth – he definitely hadn’t witnessed the snatch.  But he was also sure that the man knew far more than he was telling.  Drawing Simon aside, he whispered his conclusions to the older man, finishing with a query as to how they should proceed.  He well knew that, given the opportunity, he would happily beat the information out of the slimy little PI. 

Breathing deeply, but knowing he had to do this by the book, Banks glared at Baker, who was visibly intimidated by the two large and angry men in his presence, but not to the extent that he was about to roll over on his generously paying client.  Therefore, when Simon demanded to know the man’s ID again, he replied “Get a warrant, and you get the information, Chief Banks.  I’m sorry, but that’s the way it has to be.” 

Grinding his teeth in frustration in his turn, Simon swung away and snarled over his shoulder “We’ll be back with that warrant, Baker.  And I can assure you that your non-cooperation will be noted throughout the PD, so I think you can kiss goodbye to any departmental goodwill in the future!” and with that he stalked to the door, followed by the uniformed officers, and already reaching for his cell phone to call up a sympathetic judge to sign off on the appropriate paperwork. 

As he turned to follow the others, Jim growled “If any harm comes to my partner or his cousin, Baker, _I’ll_ make it my personal responsibility to make sure you never work in Cascade or anywhere else ever again.  And _that’s_ a promise!” 

Baker shut the door behind his unwelcome visitors, and shuddered in reaction.  He knew only too well that he was screwed whatever happened now, ID or no ID.  Perhaps he should call them back after all?  But then again, perhaps a quick exit might be wiser?  Maybe even approach the client to demand a substantial sum to ensure his silence? Shaking his head, he decided to bow to the inevitable, and simply poured himself a stiff drink, and settled down to wait.  It never occurred to him to feel any sympathy for the kidnap victims..........

**_Chapter 12  
_ **

**_Mid day, Wednesday.  The Grand Hotel, Cascade:  
_ **

Isaac was pacing irritably around his luxurious accommodation, waiting for the detectives watching his laptop to indicate that his next ‘check in chat’ with the kidnappers was due.  Wisely keeping out of his way, Sam, his long-time and trusted bodyguard watched him worriedly.  He was fond of the old man, and had quickly grown to like his newly-discovered nephew.  Although he had yet to get to know the son, he felt sure that Dr Blair Sandburg was just a good a guy as Adam and his father, so it made his blood boil to think that any of them should come to any harm.  He fervently wished he could play a more active part in the search, but failing that, he determined to do what he could, when he could to make the wait and the aftermath easier. 

Isaac had finally given in to his exhaustion earlier, and had caught an hour or so’s sleep before rousing once again to shower and change and ‘charge up’ for the next contact which was due any time now.  He knew that he had to delay payment for as long as possible up to, and perhaps beyond the given deadline, in order to give the searchers the optimum opportunity to find and rescue his son and nephew, but the wait was so hard, and his heart was telling him to give up now, and wire the money immediately.  His head, however, knew that it was still likely that the hostages were never intended to survive the kidnap, so early payment would only advance their murder at the hands of these unscrupulous bastards! 

He pondered on the progress, or lack thereof, so far, frustrated and feeling personally impotent, although he knew in his bones that it was most likely his resources which would eventually secure the young men’s release.  Acting Captain Brown had called in a few minutes ago with an update, and he could tell that the man had tried to be as up-beat as possible.  He told Isaac that Blair’s partner, Jim Ellison had recognised the PI who had been following them, but that the man had so far failed to disclose his client’s name, and they were awaiting a warrant to enable them to seize his records.  He also reported that they had caught the vehicle used during the snatch on CCTV, and had a good shot of the driver, but so far both vehicle and man remained at large.  All in all, despite the man’s somewhat forced enthusiasm, Goldstein knew that there was nothing much of value happening right now. 

On the other hand, he was sending every bit of available IT information to his expert back at Bay Independent.  If he had limited confidence in the PD’s efforts, he had much more in his employee, who he had known (and sponsored) for several years, knowing the man to be truly brilliant in his chosen field.  If anyone could ‘track and trace’ the originator of the web page and links thereto, his man would, and, with luck, that originator would either roll over on, or turn out to be, the instigator of the plot. 

Yes, his computer expert, Gordy Webb, was undeniably a true geek, but he was scrupulously honest, extremely likeable, and, like every other employee in the laboratory to the best of Isaac’s knowledge, genuinely fond of Adam whose innocent charm endeared him to almost everyone he met or worked with.  That alone would ensure the man’s full concentration and determination to succeed in the task. 

Just then, one of the detectives called to him.  “Mr Goldstein, there’s a message up for you.  Looks like there’s some live footage, but you have to sign up to chat first.” 

Nodding firmly, Isaac seated himself in front of the laptop, but not before making sure that the link to Gordy was up and running.  He wanted no delay in processing the latest contact information! 

Keying in the hated password, he entered the chat room and began reading: 

MM: ‘Where’s the money, Goldstein?’ 

IG: ‘I’m working on it.  It will be with you in a few hours’ 

MM: ‘Why so long?  You holding out on me?’ 

IG: ‘No, just takes time to get that sort of money together.  And I want to see my son and my nephew.’ 

MM: ‘Don’t trust me?  OK, you can see them. But if you keep holding out, they won’t look so good!’ 

IG: ‘Just don’t hurt them.’ 

MM: ‘Up to you, Goldstein.  You’ve got until 8.00pm tonight. Be ready to pay up or face the consequences.’ 

IG: ‘How will I know they’re still OK?’ 

MM: ‘Keep checking in every hour.  You’ll be able to see them live on camera for five minutes only.  And you can see them suffer if you don’t come through!’ 

As he exited the chat room, Isaac slumped for a moment in defeat before pulling himself together again.  “Right, at least I know where I stand now.  Let’s see that footage.  I need to see that they’re still alive” and opening the link, he prepared to record the incoming sequence. 

With the detectives and Sam looking over his shoulder, he began to watch, face becoming more drawn with every passing minute. 

The webcam showed the same featureless concrete cell as before, but this time Blair was lying on the cot with his eyes closed, and with Adam crouched beside him, gently wiping his face with a cloth.  At some muffled order off-screen, Adam jerked visibly in fright, and nodded frantically, glancing away presumably towards the speaker.  Turning back to Blair, he whispered in the older man’s ear, stroking the matted curls away from his face, and casting the occasional frightened look at whoever was in the cell with them. 

After a couple of minutes, the watchers saw Blair’s somewhat shaky hand reach out to pat Adam’s arm, and then he began to sit up, with Adam plainly taking most of his weight.  Finally upright, he looked towards the camera with a sickly grin, mouthing “Good enough?” before closing his eyes again and leaning against his cousin’s side.  Obviously exhausted by the effort, he began to sink back down onto the cot again, and the feed ceased abruptly. 

“Well, shit!  He looks terrible” whispered one of the detectives in a heart-felt tone, before realising that it wasn’t the most diplomatic thing he could have said under the circumstances.  “Sorry, Mr Goldstein.  I’m sure it looks worse than it is....!” 

Shaking his head, Isaac replied “It’s OK, detective.  They’re my sentiments entirely.  You’re right, he looks very weak.  I have to think!” and he pushed his chair away from the desk and returned to his bedroom, deep in thought. 

Knowing that Gordy would be working his magic even as he received the information, Isaac left the detectives to organise their own copies for PD purposes.  Sitting down on the large bed for a moment, he considered his predicament.  Certainly he was still basically of the same opinion as before – holding out as long as possible before paying up – but having seen how sickly Blair looked already, he couldn’t help his gut reaction which told him to pay up right now!  With a deep sigh, he lowered his face into his hands for a few minutes and indulged in a few tears before scrubbing them fiercely away and returning to the other room to continue his nerve-wracking vigil.

\------------------------------

Meanwhile, in Springvale, Jake was stripping off his black tie as he entered his bedroom.  The service over and done, he had quickly said his farewells and rushed back to the house to change and finish packing before the cab arrived to take him to the airport where Goldstein’s Lear jet waited to take him back to Cascade.  Deliberately keeping his thoughts focused on what he needed to do, Jake refused to spend time analysing his feelings as regards his family and their mutual loss.  Time enough for that when he had Adam back in his arms!

\------------------------

**_Bay Independent Forensic Laboratory, San Francisco, early afternoon:  
_ **

Dr Mary McKinley was doing her own pacing in the hallway outside the computer room, knowing that Gordy Webb didn’t need her irritable presence distracting him while he worked busily at his keyboards.  She had been almost beside herself with anger since the news that Adam and Blair had been snatched had broken, and she had never before felt so inclined to commit murder herself as she did right now.  Whoever had done the deed had better never find themselves within her clutches, or there would be hell to pay!  Having said that, she was too professional to let her anger cloud her judgement where the investigation was concerned, and she was as ahead of the game as it was possible to be as regards liaising with Isaac, the SFPD and the lab personnel here at Bay Independent. 

Just then, an excited shout from the lab got her attention, and she hurried inside.  “Hey, Gordy.  You got something?” 

With a shy grin crossing his bespectacled (and freckled) face, the young man replied “Yes, Dr McKinley, I think I do!  I mean, I still have some work to do, but I think I’ve tracked the originator, and I think I know who it is!” 

At his listener’s puzzled look, he hastened to explain.  “Um, well, to put it in lay terms, you see, in the weird and wonderful world of geekdom that we nerds inhabit, we get so involved in the goings on in cyberspace that we can recognise each others’ work and methods almost as if we were meeting face-to-face.   Keystrokes and such are our fingerprints, if you will.  So, anyway, I’m sure I came across this guy while we were setting up Mr Goldstein’s IT solutions project for the government.  I don’t know his real name, but this guy is really good, but he worked for one of the competing companies.  I’m fairly sure the company was owned by Michael Malone Jnr.  Do you think there’s a link here?” 

Frowning in concentration, Mary considered for a moment, then said “God, Gordy, if you’re right, this could be just what we need!  That’s just brilliant, my dear!  I know there was bad blood between Malone and Isaac after Malone lost the contract.  Perhaps it was enough to force him to take drastic measures for revenge and compensation.  Crimes have been committed for less reason.  Thanks, Gordy!” 

Blushing at the praise, the young man replied “You’re welcome, Dr McKinley.  But I still have plenty to do.  I need to trace the link to the webcam.  It could still be the only quick way to discover the kidnapper’s hideaway.” 

“OK, Gordy, keep at it, and thanks again!” said Mary over her shoulder, already heading for her office to contact all parties involved in the investigation and let them in on the latest information. 

On her way, she saw Bonnie Langley walking listlessly towards her, obviously deep in dark thoughts.  “Come with me, Bonnie!” she commanded without pausing.  “We may have made a breakthrough....” and the two women hurried on to the office, Bonnie hoping against hope that perhaps this new nightmare involving her dear friends was coming to an end. 

Within minutes of her calls, detectives from the SFPD were busy tracking down Malone’s elusive IT genius, whose real name appeared to be Fred Hazelwood.  Although he was now working for another company in Silicon Valley, he was easily tracked through company personnel files, and the police moved in.

\----------------------

Meanwhile, back in Cascade, the judge had come through with the warrant, and Baker had been forced to surrender his files with very bad grace.  Knowing he was fighting a losing battle, he finally gave up the name of his client, one Michael Malone Jnr. from San Francisco. 

At more or less the same time, a patrol reported finding the kidnapper’s van which had been abandoned in a scrap yard on the outskirts of Cascade.  Processed in double quick time by the Cascade PD forensics team, two partial prints were picked up off the steering wheel, and, with Jim’s help, another spot of Blair’s blood was found which confirmed the captives’ presence.  

While Jim cooled his heels impatiently in Henri’s office, fretting about the swiftly passing hours, the prints and CCTV still of the driver were run and finally came up with a match and a name.  Within minutes two teams of MCU detectives were en route to intercept the man, already on file as a low-key opportunist and known small-time hood-for-hire, to bring him in for questioning. 

Hearing footsteps approaching, Jim swung round to see a haggard-looking Jake striding towards him.  Unconcerned with onlookers’ opinions, the two men embraced for long moments before Jim finally released the younger man. 

“God, it’s good to see you, son, but I can tell you feel about as good as I do, which is totally crap!  Come on in, and I’ll catch you up on everything that we know so far.  Have you seen Isaac?  He’s possibly got the worst job, just sitting in his hotel room watching those god-awful webcam clips and getting more and more despondent by the minute.  Having said that, perhaps it would be better to wait for explanations until Simon and Henri and the rest of the crew get back in a few minutes.  There’s going to be a conference call with the SFPD and your guys at Bay Independent to pool our evidence and outline the progress so far.” 

“OK, Jim.  Sounds like a plan.  We both get to hear everything, and you won’t have to repeat yourself.  Look, I know you’ll understand what I’m saying, but I hope you won’t take it the wrong way if I’m not too communicative right now.  What with my family, the funeral and all this, I feel tense enough to snap in two if I have to do more than concentrate on Adam and the search and rescue efforts.” 

Patting the younger man reassuringly on the shoulder, Jim nodded understandingly.  “I hear you, Jake.  And I get where you’re coming from.  Let’s just hope that it won’t be long until you and Adam are back together and supporting each other through the fallout.  God knows, I need Blair right now, but he wasn’t looking in great shape in the webcam films.  I’m getting pretty worried here....” 

Immediately chastising himself for his self-absorption, Jake shook himself and clasped the older man’s arm.  “I’m sorry, Jim.  I know you feel as bad as I do, if not worse.  I truly want Blair back in good health also.  He’s a great guy, and Adam and I both love him.  Can we get some coffee while we wait for your friends?  I could really do with some caffeine right now.” 

Smiling at Jake in appreciation of his compassion, Jim led him to Henri’s personal coffee machine which he had inherited from Simon, and which still produced the best coffee in the department........!

**_Chapter 13  
_ **

**_Scene in Henri’s office, MCU, Cascade PD.  4.30pm.  
_ **

An uncharacteristically grim-faced Acting Captain H (Henri) Brown looked around him at the people squeezed into his office for the arranged conference call which, it was sincerely hoped, would lay firm foundations for the location and release of two very well-loved young men.  Calling the meeting to order, he addressed the assembly, and outlined a loose but hopefully logical format for the forthcoming conference. 

Once he was sure that all the phone and computer links were up and running, he began by outlining the information so far gleaned and acted upon by the MCU.  With most of those present fighting exhaustion from many hours of applied concentration, he attempted to keep it as straight-forward as possible. 

Although he was well aware that most people in the office were well acquainted with Ellison’s ‘super powers’, he knew he had to keep any references to Jim’s input very low-key so as not to arouse suspicion in the outside agencies listening in. 

He briefly outlined the actual kidnap as they had interpreted it from the witness statements and CCTV footage, and continued by describing how Jim had recognised the PI, Ernie Baker.  He described how they had now received the warrant to seize the man’s files, and how he had now divulged his client’s ID as one Michael Malone Jnr., frustrated entrepreneur, who was even now undergoing investigation by the SFPD. 

At this point, he invited Isaac to add his input, and everyone sat forward in concerned interest to hear the latest news from the multi millionaire who had been placed in such a heart-breaking situation. 

On screen, Isaac described to the assembly how he had passed all information to his computer expert at Bay Independent, assuming that everyone was on the same page as regards the ‘chat room’ conversations and the dreadful content of the periodic live webcam sequences.  He explained how his employee had ‘tracked’ the originator of the webpage and its links, and how the geek, one Fred Hazelwood, had quickly rolled over when questioned (forcefully) by police officers, under the threat of conviction for kidnap and possible accessory to murder.  Proving to be as cowardly as he was unscrupulous, he had quickly fingered Michael Malone Jnr. as the mastermind behind the scheme, hoping to escape serious charges for his part in the set up. 

Isaac continued by mentioning Gordy’s hopes of tracking the captives’ location via the web links, but didn’t feel comfortable with expanding on the theme at that time.  He could not, however refrain from mentioning how concerned he was about Blair’s apparent poor condition, and it wasn’t difficult for those present to pick up on his despair. 

Thanking him for his input, H then invited the spokesman for the SFPD to add their contribution to the meeting. 

Looking somewhat smug, the spokesman, (who turned out to be none other than Detective Marlon Brackley; with whom Jake was already familiar as he had been the lead detective in the ‘Red Light Slasher’ case which had so traumatically involved Adam and himself) began to speak. 

“Well, gentlemen, I have great pleasure in announcing that we have apprehended Michael Malone Jnr.  Once we learned of his link to Fred Hazelwood, and the MCU had told us of his employment of the PI, Ernie Baker, we decided to confront him at his mansion.  There we found illegally acquired cell phones, a laptop in his den which was conveniently open at the ‘kidnap’ webpage, and also airline tickets to the Bahamas and a folder containing information about an off-shore account in the Grand Cayman Islands in his wall safe.  It was like Christmas, gentlemen!  The man’s arrogance is truly astounding! 

I have to say, he was more than furious, and, I could almost add, more than slightly deranged. He ranted about treacherous employees and underhand competition in business, and his need for righteous revenge, yadda, yadda.  Basically couldn’t stop digging the hole to bury himself in!” Here, however, the big detective’s face fell as he continued sadly “The only thing he wouldn’t do though, sad to say, is give up any information as to the location of Dr Sandburg and Adam Browning.  All he’d say about them was that he hoped ‘they got what was coming to them’ and that ‘Goldstein would have to live with his failure’ to save them, I assume.” 

Here he sat back to allow his listeners to absorb his contribution, hoping against hope that someone else had something more to offer to assist in the rescue of the two hapless victims. 

At this point, a junior MCU detective burst into the office to announce that the driver of the kidnap vehicle had identified the other three team members as Tom Murphy and the brothers Stan and Albie Abrahams.  He couldn’t, however, provide any further information, claiming that he had been paid only to drive, and nothing more.  There was no reason to believe that he was telling anything but the truth, so momentarily raised spirits were swiftly dashed. 

“Christ!  We’re no better off!” groaned Jim, scrubbing his face with his hand.  “Is there _no_ lead we can follow?  You’ve all seen the video clips!  Blair’s dying, and Adam’s terrified and vulnerable!  How much longer can they last?  And how long do we get before the others realise that their boss has been arrested and they’re on their own?” 

No one seemed to be able to come up with an answer to his plea, so he and Jake sat back in their seats, fighting hard not to give in to their despair. 

After a long and painful silence, a quiet voice finally came from the screen linked to Goldstein’s hotel suite.  Expression solemn but determined, Isaac spoke out quietly but firmly. 

“Jim, Jake, listen to me!  I know, I _know_ how you feel, but believe me when I tell you that I truly think that my computer expert has the answer.  He’s got so far, I simply refuse to believe that he won’t find the location.  As long as the link stays open, he holds the key to the rescue.  I _know_ it.  I just want you to know it too.” 

Gazing at Isaac’s solemn face on the screen, and easily discerning his sincerity, Jim found himself nodding in reluctant acceptance. “OK, Isaac.  OK!  I’ll try, I swear!  Just don’t let him take too long.” 

“I’m banking on it, son” came the quiet reply, and Isaac signed off. 

\-------------------------

**_Chapter 14  
_ **

**_Somewhere in the Cascade National Forest, 6.30 pm:  
_ **

“Something’s wrong.  I know it!” snarled Stan Abrahams, stalking back and forth across the isolated cabin’s sparsely furnished main room, which doubled up as camera/computer room, living room and dormitory for the three kidnap team members. 

“When we did the last couple feeds for Goldstein, the boss didn’t follow up and check in.  I just know something’s wrong!” 

Looking to his companions for confirmation and advice, he immediately discounted Albie’s puzzled but totally bewildered expression, knowing that his kid brother’s contribution to the problem would be worse than useless. 

Murphy, on the other hand, was scowling as he thought the situation through.  “So” he began “you figure that the boss might have been picked up, huh? Well, in that case, why shouldn’t we carry on ourselves?  I mean, I don’t see how we can be implicated, not anytime soon, anyway.  If he was to finger us, it would just make it worse for him to my way of thinking.  He couldn’t even be bothered to know the exact location of this place.  Just wanted to know it was secret and secure.  If you ask me, he never intended to let those two little fuckers go once he got the money, despite all the ‘disguising our identity’ shit.  We can go ahead as planned, just change where and how the old guy drops off the big bucks, divide the loot and scarper.” 

“You got a point, Murphy” replied Stan, considering the suggestion.  “We still got the means to send out the films, and if we add a little more anxiety to the mix, I’ll bet we can get the old bastard to cough up real quick.  Yeah.  I think we could do this, but we have to speed it up a bit just in case the boss does roll over on us!”

\------------------------------

Next door in the chill air of the cell, Blair surfaced very slightly from his now almost constant state of dazed unconsciousness.  He felt warm enough, enjoying the comfort from the sleeping body curled up behind him, although he knew somehow that the sensation would be short-lived.  His head felt heavy and throbbed incessantly, and he realised that his eyesight was deteriorating.  Vaguely considering the symptoms, he concluded that this wasn’t just concussion.  Shit, he’d been hit on the head and been concussed more times than he could count!  If he’d have had the energy, he might even have giggled at the thought.  No, this was different.  Perhaps potentially fatal?  OK, very possible.  But not good.  For his part, it would simply mean an end to this relentless pain.  He was so tired. But who was going to look out for Adam?  And, even more importantly, who’d look out for Jim?  Ah, God!  Jim!  Jim, man, I need you!  Want to be held by you – want to see you one last time..........say goodbye.......... 

A few minutes later, Adam roused from his troubled doze, knowing instinctively that something was very wrong.  Over the last few hours, their captors seemed to have grown progressively less concerned with their welfare and more impatient that they ‘perform’ for the hourly film sessions, something that was getting more and more difficult due to Blair’s deteriorating condition.  Adam himself had almost reached breaking point, and was only able to refrain from full meltdown because of his concern for Blair who was visibly weakening as he watched.  Sitting up, he carefully climbed off the cot in order to check out Blair’s condition more easily.  He was horrified at the pallid complexion and lax features on his cousin’s sweat-damp and beard-stubbled face, noting the deepening shadows beneath the sunken eye sockets, and the almost comatose unconscious state.  Truly frightened that his cousin was dying he turned to the camera’s blinking eye crying “Please, please help him!  I think he’s dying!  Please get a doctor, he needs a doctor!” 

In the next room, Stan witnessed the boy’s panic with a sour expression.  “Shit!  He’s going faster than I’d hoped!  Get this on camera, ‘cos it might be our last chance to film the little bastard alive.  Then get it out to the old man once we’ve edited it, and tell him time’s up!”  So saying, he pulled on his mask out of habit rather than necessity now, and left the room to enter the cell. 

When he opened the door, he was immediately assaulted by the overriding smell of sickness and sweat from the captives’ unwashed and stressed-out bodies, coupled with the delightful aroma from the bucket he had finally dumped in the room for toilet use, as he had grown impatient with the time and trouble needed to escort the captives to the bathroom.  The younger man immediately turned to face him, beseeching gaze locking with his, and holding out his hands in supplication. 

“Please help him!  I can’t do any more.  It’s beyond my skills, and I think he’s dying.  You said you might get a doctor if necessary – well, it is, truly!  Please!” and fat tears began to roll unchecked down the devastated young face. 

Almost anyone else would have sympathised with the youngster’s plea, but Stan wasn’t just anyone.  Hardening his heart, he growled in response “Tough luck, kid!  I got no doctor, and I got no intention of gettin’ one for him!  If he dies or not, it’s up to you, I don’t care either way.  But you better get him up for one last photo shot.  This is it, kid.  You’re uncle either pays up now, or you’re both dead!” 

Recklessly deciding that this was the grand finale, Stan shouted “Hey, Murphy!  Make sure the camera’s running and get in here!  I think it’s time to up the ante, and I know you want a piece of this little beauty!” and he laughed harshly at his own comments. 

Moments later Murphy entered the room, and even with the mask on, Adam was horrified to realise he was smirking in unholy glee.  “No, please no, don’t hurt me!” he whimpered, assailed by memories of Delaney and the pain and shame the man had inflicted on his helpless ‘angel’.  Rapidly backing away from Murphy’s outstretched hands, he collided with Stan’s broad chest, and felt himself seized from behind.  Screaming in absolute terror, he struggled wildly against the strong arms pinning his forearms and hands across his chest, and tried vainly to kick out at the advancing Murphy.  The latter laughed derisively at his frantic attempts, and backhanded him viciously, stopping his struggles instantly as his head was whipped sideways by the force of the blow. 

It took several moments for Adam to clear his head enough to see the knife in Murphy’s outstretched hand, and he cried out again, pleading for mercy that he was certain wouldn’t be granted.  Whimpering in terror, he was forced to watch as Murphy grabbed his hand and raised the knife saying “Perhaps it’s time to send your uncle a little piece of his beloved nephew, hey? We can send him a bit more for every hour he keeps us waiting!  I’m thinking a finger at a time, eh?” and he chuckled evilly as Adam moaned in wordless horror as the blade was lowered relentlessly towards his shrinking flesh. 

At that moment, Murphy grunted in surprise as he was struck from behind by a heavy weight hurling itself at his unguarded back.  All three men were shocked in their own way to see a wild-eyed Blair slump to the floor, having used his last reserves of energy to come to his cousin’s aid. “Bastard...leave ‘m alone....” were his last mumbled words as he faded once more into darkness.    

For long moments the tableau held, frozen in varying degrees of shock and surprise. 

Eventually Stan broke the silence saying “Well, shit!  Who’d have thought the doc had balls that big!  He dead now?” 

At his words, Adam sobbed out loud, slumping bonelessly in the restraining arms.  “Oh no, please no! Oh Blair!  Please, _please_ let me go to him!” 

Releasing him with a grunt, Stan shrugged and said “Come on, Murph.  Might as well leave them for now.  If he can resurrect the doc, all well and good.  If not, you get to have your wicked way with the kid next time, OK?” 

Murphy, plainly disgruntled at the suggestion, nevertheless sniffed in distain and signalled his acceptance with a one-shoulder shrug in his turn.  “’S’pose so.  It’s not like he’s going anywhere after all.  I’ll go make sure Albie got it on tape, but it ain’t time for the live feed yet.  Just as well this time I guess, since it looks like the doc could be dead, huh? Old geezer ain’t going to pay for a corpse, eh?” and he turned and marched out of the cell, body language radiating disappointment and anger. 

Stan paused a moment, looking thoughtfully at where Adam was cradling Blair’s head in his lap.  “He still with us?” he asked with cool indifference. 

“Yes, yes, he is” came the whispered response “But I don’t know how long for” Adam added plaintively, tears streaming freely down his face. 

Bending down, Stan quickly scooped up the lax body and dumped it unceremoniously on the cot.  “And this time, stay there!” he murmured under his breath before turning to leave the cell once again, ignoring Adam’s pleading gaze as he stalked out of the door.

\-------------------------------

**_Inside MCU, Wednesday 7.00pm:  
_ **

Jim and Jake slumped wearily in the breakroom, nursing cups of virtually undrinkable coffee.  Like almost everyone in the department, they were running on fumes, with only the stimulus of the dreadful hourly ‘live feeds’ and the desperate hope for progress to keep them awake and more or less aware.  Simon had had to leave them for the time being, even thought he hadn’t wanted to, but his position of Deputy Chief meant that he had other responsibilities to deal with as well as the ongoing kidnap case. 

The two men were barely talking.  Not because of any falling out, but to conserve what little energy they could, knowing exactly what each other was feeling anyway. 

Just then, a frazzled-looking junior detective poked his head round the door, saying “It’s time, guys.  The next feed’s due” so they rose to their feet with surprising alacrity to gather in H’s office once again like uneasy voyeurs, needing yet dreading to see the next awful ‘episode’. 

However, this time the feed was different.  Instead of the expected footage of the steadily deteriorating victims huddled on the cot, a dimly back-lit, masked and shadowed head shot appeared, and began to speak. 

“OK, Goldstein, change of plans.  We still got your boys, and they’re still in one piece for now, but if you want them to stay that way, you get the money to us instead.  You got two extra hours to deliver it, right?  After that, deal’s off, and the boys are history.  

We want $1,000,000.00 in unmarked bills dropped behind the dumpster at River Forks gas station at 10.00 pm tonight.  One person only, and no police.  Do it right, and you get them back.  Oh, and no more live feed – you’ll just have to take my word they’re still with us!” and he chuckled mirthlessly at the chilling comment.  There followed a very short, and probably pre-recorded, clip, which just showed a blurry shot of a tearful Adam cradling Blair, whose head was resting on his lap, and the screen went blank. 

For several long moments, stunned silence reigned in the office, then Jake murmured “Oh good Christ!” in a broken voice. 

As if on cue, another picture filled the screen, this time of a devastated-looking Isaac, speaking from his hotel room.  However, when he began to speak, his news this time caused everyone present to stare at the screen, hope sparking in their eyes. 

“I’ve just had news from my computer expert at Bay Independent.  Gordy has pinpointed the source of the feed, and is sending the coordinates and aerial photographs to you as we speak.  Save my boys, gentlemen.  Please go and save my boys!” and he turned away, voice breaking, and leaving it to one of his detective companions to finish the call. 

Even before the screen went blank, the whole roomful of watchers were galvanised into action, and the rescue mission was underway.....

\----------------------------

**_Chapter 15  
_ **

**_Rescue: Somewhere in Cascade National Forest, 20 miles north of River Forks gas station:  
_ **

Jim Ellison was vibrating with cold fury, crouched in the shelter of thick forest undergrowth and barely able to contain the desperate urge to charge across the shadowy clearing to storm the well-concealed rustic cabin before him.  Weariness banished for the present, he was running on pure adrenalin, ready and willing to go to the rescue of his beloved Guide, who he knew without doubt was somewhere in the darkened building.  The scent was strong, but overlain with sickness and the stench of fear, and the familiar heartbeat was laboured. 

Adam’s scent was easily picked up by sentinel senses also, similarly tainted with sweat and terror, and although the heartbeat was strong, it was hurried and the overpowering smell of saline attested to the young man’s tears. 

Two further heartbeats also registered, both fairly calm and unhurried, and Jim had already confirmed their presence to Simon, who crouched beside him, knowing that the third member of the group was already on his way to the River Forks gas station where he believed he was going to retrieve a suitcase full of Goldstein’s dollars.  Unless the police presence there proved to be completely incompetent, he would be picked up instead. 

Jake was also crouched behind Jim, similarly pumped up with the need to see and hold his young lover, and willing to tear apart any thug who stood between him and his goal. 

“Soon, Jim, soon!” whispered Simon, a restraining grip clamped around the angry Sentinel’s forearm.  “They’re almost in place.  Just be patient for a few more minutes...” 

Jim subsided minutely, and spent a moment recalling the last few hours’ almost manic activity which had led up to this point.

\-----------------------

As soon as Goldstein’s computer tech had provided the relevant coordinates, the thugs’ hideaway was easily confirmed, and H’s team sprang into action.  Information gleaned from the local police described the cabin as having been constructed deep in the woods by a wannabe survivalist, who had died in a car crash before he could appreciate his new home.  The well-hidden rustic cabin fronted a robustly constructed ‘safe room’, windowless and bare but designed as a refuge for the owner should the need arise.  This was undoubtedly where the victims were being held.  How Malone’s men had discovered and occupied the place was unimportant for now. 

Enlisting the local police force’s support, H quickly arranged for a team to be in place hiding in wait at the gas station to seize the kidnapper sent to collect the ransom.  Relying unashamedly on Jim’s senses and his many years of experience in covert ops and at the PD, H coordinated the circuitous approach through the thick woodland surrounding the cabin, his men avoiding potential pitfalls in the darkness thanks to Jim’s organic early warning system.  Finally in position, H, who was communicating directly with Simon, waited for the right moment to begin the operation.

\------------------------

Jim’s impatience was becoming unbearable.  He was wearing Kevlar, as was Jake, and carrying his personal weapon for which he had a permit, but he had been told in no uncertain terms by Simon that as a civilian he was not, under any circumstances, to take part in the police action.  Grimly remembering the many times he had ordered Blair to ‘stay in the truck’ during their unofficial partnership, he now understood how frustrating it must have been for his Guide.  No surprise really, then, that the young man had so often disobeyed his instructions! 

He was brought instantly back to the present when Simon whispered to him, asking him to confirm the position of the two kidnappers within the building.  Nodding briskly, Jim cocked his head in the classic ‘listening’ position, and located the heartbeats in the front room of the cabin, talking desultorily as they awaited the return of their partner with the money. 

Listening in to the conversation, Jim gathered that it was the younger brother who had been sent to pick up the ransom, and was incensed to hear the cruel comments the other two were making regarding the disposal of the captives.  He knew he would never disclose to Jake what plans they had for ‘enjoying’ young Adam before killing him! 

When he advised Simon of his findings, word was passed to H, and the action commenced. 

H was taking no chances that the operation could result in failure, so he was going for total surprise.  The MCU detectives, backed up by uniformed officers, quickly but quietly rushed the cabin from all sides, hurling a stun grenade through the front windows before bursting in through the door.  Knowing exactly where the shocked and incapacitated kidnappers were in the large room, thanks to Jim’s information, they swiftly overcame the pair and threw them down to the floor to be cuffed and read their rights while Jim and Jake burst into the room seconds later. 

With barely a glance at the restrained thugs, Jim quickly located the partly-disguised door to the back room, and, with Jake at his shoulder, he threw it open only to pull up short at the sight before them. 

Adam, who had screamed in terror at the sudden entrance, had thrown himself protectively across his cousin’s body, fearing that they were both about to be killed and instinctively wanting to shield his injured cousin. 

Jim quickly catalogued the bare, chilled room with its only furnishings consisting of a stinking bucket and two small cots bolted to the walls, on the furthest of which the two captives huddled.   He instinctively registered the single, caged light bulb sunk into the ceiling, and the blinking light from a camera, likewise caged protectively and situated high up on the wall which adjoined the main cabin. 

“Holy shit!” he breathed, then both Jake and he slowly approached the huddled shapes on the cot, appalled gazes fixed on both filthy and virtually naked captives. 

“Adam, baby, it’s me.  Look at me, baby!” said Jake, quietly but firmly, relying on Adam’s prior conditioning to instinctively obey the command. 

Sure enough, terrified eyes locked with his, although it was several seconds before the truth dawned and Adam visibly recognised his lover.  

“Oh Jake!  Is it really you?  Please, Jake, please let it be you!” the young man sobbed, holding out a shaking hand towards the older man. 

“Yes, baby, it’s me.  You’re OK, sweetheart.  You’re safe now.  Come to me, baby” and that was all the encouragement Adam needed.  Carefully disengaging himself from Blair’s unconscious body, he threw himself into the waiting arms, sobbing as if his heart would break. 

Meanwhile, Jim had stepped up to the cot, shocked and frightened at the sight of his beloved Guide, lying still and silent under the filthy blankets.  

“Oh god, Blair!  What have they done to you!” he murmured, almost too frightened to touch the cold skin in case he did more damage.  “Medic!  I need a medic in here now!” he yelled, knowing that H had arranged for just such a situation.  Kneeling quickly beside the cot, he took a cold hand in both of his, only marginally reassured that his lover’s heart still beat, as his sensory scan told him that there was a serious problem, undoubtedly due to the blow to Blair’s head, and the younger man’s hold on life was weak and growing more precarious by the minute. 

As the EMTs bustled around the still figure, attaching IVs and neck and back supports before transporting Blair to the hospital, Jim maintained his grip on his lover’s hand, merely moving from side to side to allow the medics to work. 

Completely oblivious to the wrapping up activities around him, he walked beside Blair’s stretcher to the clearing where an ambulance waited.  Nodding wordlessly to Simon, who stood beside the rear door, he climbed in after the stretcher, ignoring the EMT’s annoyed expression, and sat down beside his lover, never letting go of the small, cold hand clutched now in both of his larger warm ones.  Whispering a continuous litany of loving words and exhortations for his lover to hold on, he concentrated on sending all his love and commitment through their link, hoping against hope that it would be enough to sustain Blair through the hurt and pain and treatment to come.

\--------------------------------

**_Chapter 16  
_ **

**_Cascade General Hospital, early hours of Thursday morning:  
_ **

Several hours later Jim sat in the waiting room, slumped wearily in an uncomfortable plastic chair, and waiting vainly for news of his partner, who even now was in the operating theatre where surgeons worked to remove the blood clot that threatened his life. 

Simon had stayed with him for a while, but had finally been forced to leave to try and grab a few hours’ much-needed rest before facing up to the media circus that the operation would undoubtedly stir up. 

Adam had been checked over in ER, but had resolutely refused to stay overnight, wanting only to be in Jake’s arms after he had seen Jim for himself.  Dressed in borrowed scrubs, he and Jake had found where Jim waited, and, knowing the anguish that the older man must be feeling, Adam, with a nod of approval from his partner, moved quickly to where the older man was seated and climbed onto his lap, wrapping his arms around Jim’s neck and burying his face in a broad shoulder which shook minutely with tightly controlled emotion.  

“I’m so sorry, Jim.  I tried to do my best to look after Blair, I swear!  But I was useless as usual.  I’ll never forgive myself if he dies!” 

Raising his arms to cuddle his lapful of crying young friend, Jim cleared his throat and blinked back his own tears before saying “Hey little one, you did good.  Don’t beat yourself up.  Simon watched some of that video those bastards made of you, and he told me how you tried to protect Blair and care for him.  You did your best, kid.  You probably kept him alive long enough for him to get here.  When he’s well enough, I know he’ll tell you the same thing.  He won’t die, baby.  I won’t let him!” 

Pulling back a little so he could look into the Sentinel’s eyes, Adam saw for himself the sincerity in the older man’s direct gaze, and, after chewing his lip for a moment, he whispered “Thanks, Jim.  It’s good of you to say.  It means a lot to me to know you don’t hate me for being OK while Blair was so badly hurt.  I’ll do anything you need to help both of you, I promise.” 

“I could never hate you, kiddo.  You’re family, remember?  Now, go back to the loft with Jake and get some rest.  You both need some down-time to yourselves, and you can come back tomorrow to see Blair.  I’m certain there’ll be good news by then”. 

With a somewhat shaky smile, Adam slid off Jim’s lap, and returned to Jake to be hugged close by the bigger man who added “Take care, Jim, and give Blair our love when you see him.  We’ll come back in a few hours to see you both.” 

Nodding in response, Jim smiled wanly at the pair as they turned and disappeared from view down the corridor, heading back to the loft for some healing sleep. 

Leaning his head back against the wall, he thought of the other visitors who had dropped by to wish him well, and offer their sincere words of support for the man currently under the surgeon’s knife.  Although naturally fully occupied with dealing with the aftermath of the arrests, H had still managed to drop by the ER on his way back to the PD to check on Jim and reassure him that he was convinced Hairboy would soon be up and about and his normal hyper self before they knew it.  If he saw through his friend’s bracing words to the real concern beneath, Jim didn’t let on, but simply thanked the man for his sincere good wishes. 

Simon had arrived at the same time, but had stayed on for an hour or two before regretfully returning home.  On the other hand, Isaac Goldstein had appeared in the ER moments after Blair had been whisked away for X rays and scans, and he had stayed with Jim until the results were known and the tired-looking duty doctor had come to tell them of the proposed course of treatment. 

He explained that, although there appeared to be no actual skull fracture from the blow, it had been hard enough to cause a significant amount of internal bleeding which put pressure on the area of Blair’s optic nerves and formed a large and growing clot, hence Blair’s blurred vision and awful throbbing headache.  Surgery to remove the clot and relieve the pressure on the brain was imminent and vital if the young man’s life was to be saved, and he was being prepped for theatre as they spoke.  He reassured them however that the surgeon doing the operation was one of their best, then, offering them a harried but genuine smile, he had rushed away to his next case. 

Taking stock of Isaac’s drawn and exhausted condition, Jim had gently insisted that the older man go home to try and get some proper rest in his hotel room.  The hard chairs of the waiting area weren’t conducive to comfortable long-term sitting, and Jim had promised he would call the moment Blair was out of theatre and settled in his room. 

Plainly uncomfortable at the thought of leaving, but knowing Jim was right, Isaac allowed himself to be led from the hospital by his faithful bodyguard after gripping Jim’s shoulder in comfort and gratitude, and promising to return once he had had a little rest. 

Jim raised his head to check his watch for the umpteenth time, when he heard footsteps approaching once more.  Looking down the corridor, he was touched to see his old friend Joel Taggart striding towards him, his broad and amiable face creased with worry. 

Although Joel had retired from the PD some months ago, he had kept in touch with Jim and Blair ever since Jim’s own retirement from active policing, and they considered him to be one of their most valued friends.  He had always had a real soft spot for Blair, and had enjoyed working with Ellison, and had stood by them through thick and thin for many years. 

“Jim, man, how are you?  Simon called me to give me the news about Blair.  I can’t believe that poor kid’s got himself into trouble again!  I’d hoped that leaving the PD and setting up your own company would have kept you both out of harm’s way!” 

Standing up to give the older man a hug which he got back in spades, Jim sighed as they sat down side by side. 

“I know, Joel, but this time it had nothing to do with police work or even Blair’s own academic stuff.  It was purely down to the revelation of his being the long lost son of Isaac Goldstein.  Seems that some failed business competitor got it into his head that Goldstein had shafted him on some project or other, so decided to get his revenge by having Blair and Isaac’s nephew Adam Browning kidnapped and held to ransom.  Blair was hurt during the snatch, and I’m convinced he’s only made it this far because Adam took care of him as well as he could.  Both of them have been kidnapped before, although it’s been a while for Blair, thank god, but how two lovely young people like them can suffer so much trauma is beyond me!” 

Sighing in his turn, Joel replied “I don’t have an answer for you, Jim, but I so agree with you.  Blair’s a wonderful young man, like a son to me, and, from what I’ve heard, young Adam is like a younger version of him.  Anyway, if it’s OK with you, I’d like to keep you company until Blair’s out of surgery and back in his room.” 

“Thanks, Joel, I appreciate it” replied Jim sincerely.  “Just hope it won’t be too much longer.” And with that, the pair sat in companionable silence for the next hour, deep in thought as they waited for news of their injured friend.

\-------------------------------------

When the call came for people waiting for news of Blair Sandburg, Jim rose quickly to his feet and, glancing at Joel in gratitude for the comforting squeeze on the shoulder the older man gave him, he strode down towards the nursing station where a weary surgeon was pulling off his cap and running his hand through his hair. 

Turning towards Jim, he held out a hand in greeting and introduced himself as Doctor Reynolds before pointing to an empty side room where he invited Jim to sit down.  Sitting down himself in obvious relief, he smiled tiredly before saying “Your Dr Sandburg is a very lucky man, Mr Ellison.  I admit it was touch and go for a while in theatre, because the clot had grown so large it would certainly have killed him if left untreated for much longer.  However, we were able to go in and relieve the pressure and remove a bone fragment which hadn’t been visible on the initial X rays.  All things being equal he should recover well, although there is a very slight chance that his eyesight could be permanently affected.” 

“That’s really good news, Doctor Reynolds, but when you say Blair’s eyes could be affected, do you mean that he could be blind?” asked Jim worriedly. 

“No, I don’t believe so” came the thoughtful reply.  “If anything, it could be a touch of occasional blurred vision which could get worse with age.  Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, though.  Anyway, he’ll be in recovery for another hour, then he’ll be moved to a private room as per his father’s instructions.  I assume you’ll be wanting to stay with him?” 

Smiling genuinely in what felt like the first time in an age, Jim said “You assume right, Doctor!  He’ll want me near when he wakes, and I wouldn’t want to be any place else.” 

“Fair enough!” laughed the doctor.  “Now, I’m going to go and get some sleep.  It’s been a very long night.  I’ll see you and Blair later” and, after shaking Jim’s hand again, he strode away down the corridor. 

Sighing deeply in relief, Jim walked back to Joel to give him the good news, then allowed himself a welcome cup of coffee before going up to the ward to sit at Blair’s bedside to await his beloved’s return to consciousness.

\--------------------------------

**_Epilogue:  
_ **

**_Cascade General, Sunday morning:  
_ **

Jim was smiling as he walked down the corridor leading to Blair’s private room.  His partner had finally talked him into going back to the loft for a few hours of proper sleep in a real bed, and he had taken the opportunity of luxuriating in a long and relaxing shower.  Now, feeling 100% better, he was returning to his lover bearing gifts of large cups of Starbucks mocha latte and still-warm croissants, knowing how addicted the younger man was to the treats. 

For the best part of the last three days, he had obstinately remained on guard at his lover’s bedside, not wanting to leave even after Blair had finally opened bleary eyes late on Thursday night, and returned to the waking world, head aching enough to make him feel slightly nauseous, but thankfully with eyesight no more impaired than normal for him.  Once relaxing again after being dosed with morphine, (and he hadn’t complained once this time about chemicals invading his body), Blair had demanded to know first when he could go home, and then just when Jim was going to go and get some well-deserved rest.  All in all, par for the course, and Jim was overjoyed to hear it. 

During his frequent visits to check over his feisty patient, Dr Reynolds was pleased with his overall condition, and guardedly optimistic about his full recovery, although he refused to be drawn on exactly when he was prepared to release the outspoken young professor. 

There had been a constant stream of visitors since Blair’s return to the land of the living, although he had slept through many of the visits.  His room was festooned with cards and balloons from well-wishers (flowers were no longer allowed on the ward), and he was truly humbled by the sheer number of people who wished him well. 

Isaac had been by several times, and had insisted on staying for long enough for Jim to take short walks to use the restroom and get himself cups of bad hospital coffee and indifferent sandwiches, although he and Blair had had little opportunity to really talk, thanks to Blair’s tendency to fall asleep mid-sentence.  Isaac wasn’t offended, however.  It was perfectly normal for someone so recently out of major surgery, and he was just so glad that he hadn’t lost his son so soon after discovering him. 

However, he himself felt the need to return to Sausalito to relax and regain his equilibrium after such a traumatic experience, even if he felt guilty about leaving so soon.  Understanding his quandary, and fully empathising with his father, Blair had insisted that the older man return home and that there was absolutely no need for guilt, so, after a deal of thought, Isaac had agreed and had left first thing this morning after a last visit when he asked Blair if he and Jim would come and see him as soon as they could. 

Hugging his father awkwardly, Blair had agreed, and, eyes drooping again, much to his chagrin, he fell asleep before he could see his father’s indulgent smile as he left the room.  

Blair also had visitors from the academic world, which cheered him no end, especially when Dr Eli Stoddard poked his head around the door, saying “You know, young man, I _had_ thought you would have given up this sort of practical experience now you and Jim aren’t associated with the Police Department anymore!  You have to get well soon, you know, because we all want to hear the rest of your lecture series!” and he had given Blair an enormous balloon with a smiley face which almost brought tears to Blair’s eyes, so touched was he with the older man’s concern. 

The two young students who had reported the kidnapping also dropped by, both plainly embarrassed because they believed they had endangered Blair and Adam unnecessarily by their delay, but Blair was at pains to set their minds at rest, even though he was well aware that Jim thought they were right to be ashamed! 

Joel Taggart had been by a couple of times, hugely relieved to see his favourite young friend on the mend, and bringing one of his wife’s renowned sponge cakes which disappeared at a rate of knots once Blair’s other visitors and favourite nurses got wind of it, not to mention a sweet-toothed Sentinel! 

Both Simon and H had called in to bring both Jim and Blair up to speed with the case as well as to see for themselves that their ‘Hairboy’ was truly OK.  It appeared that Michael Malone Jnr. had more or less sealed his fate through his own anger-fuelled and ranting confession, but there was a strong possibility that the type of sentence he served would depend on a ruling as to his diminished mental capacity. 

On the other hand, there was no such excuse to offset the likely conviction and sentencing of the three members of the snatch team.  There was far too much evidence supporting their culpability to cause Jim and the PD much concern about any possibility of them being released.  And even if they _did_ walk through some obscure legal loophole, their fates would still be sealed once a certain vengeful Sentinel got through with them, although Jim would never have revealed these particular thoughts to his beloved Guide, who was still basically a pacifist even after all he had been through. 

The van driver would most likely serve a fairly light jail term since his role was limited solely to driving the stolen van to the point where the kidnappers and their captives had changed to another vehicle, and he had never played an active part in the actual snatch. 

As for Ernie Baker, it was very unlikely that he would ever work as a Private Investigator in Cascade ever again, even if he escaped conviction.  The PD as a whole would see to that!

\--------------------------

As Jim pushed open the door to the private room, his smile widened in pleasure to see Blair sitting up, propped up on a mountain of pillows, and looking almost radiant in comparison to his post-operative pallor of the last couple of days.  Although still far from well enough to be discharged, he was able to summon a genuine smile for his lover, which widened even further at the sight of the coffee. 

“Oh Jim, you are truly a God among men!” he chortled, reaching out a finally IV-free hand for the delicious-smelling offerings. 

“Hah!  And I thought it was my studly body you lusted after!” returned Jim, moving quickly to his lover’s bedside, enormously pleased to witness the real improvement in the younger man’s health and demeanour. 

“Oh yeah, that too” chuckled Blair “but seeing as I hardly got any of Joel’s sponge cake, the least you can do is hand over a croissant.  They only offered me oatmeal this morning...” he added, puppy dog eyes in full force. 

Never able to resist such appeal, Jim placed the cardboard tray on the bedside table, leaning over to steal a much-needed kiss before pushing the table into place over the bed. 

“God, Blair, you look good enough to eat yourself, babe” he breathed.  “I can’t wait to get you home for some real TLC.” 

“Oh I’m so there, man!” replied Blair, gazing into his adored Sentinel’s eyes.  “As soon as I get my marching orders, we’re not getting out of bed for a week – if not longer!” 

“Looking forward to it, babe” replied Jim with feeling.  “But perhaps you’d better drink your coffee before it gets cold, and get a croissant down you also.  Jake and Adam will be here soon, and I doubt you’ll have much time to eat in between all the chatting you’re sure to be doing.” 

“I guess you’re right as usual, lover” replied Blair, taking a large and appreciative bite of croissant.  “You’re having one too, aren’t you?” he added, waving the plate at Jim.  “I wouldn’t feel right eating all these goodies myself”. 

“Well, since you’re offering, babe” said Jim with a lazy grin “I guess if I can’t have you, this’ll have to do” and he licked slowly up the length of the croissant before gently biting off the end. 

“No fair, totally not fair!” whined Blair, with an assumed pout.  “You’re turning into a real prick tease, lover!” 

“Takes one to know one!” was the unrepentant reply, as Jim slowly chewed his bite of pastry.  “And here are our visitors” he added, looking meaningfully towards the door, laughing as he heard Blair’s Sentinel soft “I’ll get you for that, rat bastard!” 

Although Blair was aware that Adam and Jake had been to visit him before, both to check on his progress and to bring clean clothes and edible food for Jim, he had mostly been too much out of it to respond to Adam’s worried queries.  This time, however, he would be truly glad to see his young cousin and see for himself how Adam and Jake were holding up. 

When Adam peeped round the door moments later, his slightly anxious expression lightened enormously when he took in the scene before him, and registered the apparently enormous improvement in his cousin’s health.  Bouncing into the room, he threw his arms around Jim, who was closest, saying “Hi Jim!  You’re looking so much better” before turning towards the bed, pausing before approaching the bed, eyes wide and full of innocent happiness. 

“Oh Blair, you look so good!  I’m so happy that you’re really OK.  Um, can I hug you?” 

“I’d be offended if you didn’t, cuz” replied Blair fondly, genuinely pleased to see his young cousin in such good spirits. 

Smiling happily at the invitation, Adam climbed carefully onto the bed, pushing the table aside before lying next to his cousin and snuggling up to him rather like a friendly puppy. 

“Thank you so much for being you” he said ingeniously, totally unaware of the indulgent smiles his comment provoked from Jim and Jake, who had followed him into the room. 

Once the ‘family reunion’ was over for now, Jake added “Hey, Blair, you’re looking way more like yourself.  Any idea when Jim’s going to be able to spring you?  I have to tell you that he was a total bear when he came back last night”. 

“Hey, not so!” responded Jim with a laugh.  “All I said was that the washing up hadn’t been done.  Anyone would think I was house-proud....!” and then he was forced to join in the mock-disbelieving but whole-hearted laughter of all three others as the tension almost visibly lightened in the room. 

Once the cleansing merriment was done, and all four of them were holding their ribs and snuffling happily in the aftermath, Jake finally spoke, saying “Look, you two, we’re truly relieved to see you looking so well Blair, and we’re really grateful for your hospitality, but I have to say that we really need to get back to San Fran now.  I know” he said, holding up his hands at the automatic reaction “We’ve been made to feel really welcome, but we...I...need to get home.  I really need time to ‘process’ all this.  I’ve never felt as devastated and hopeless as when I thought Adam had been taken from me again, and I had to try and deal with my family too.  No, I’m not after sympathy here, really.  It’s Adam and Blair who qualify for that more than me.  It’s just that I need to be in our own place, reconnecting with Adam, and, I hope, helping him to deal with his demons too” and he ground to a halt, looking slightly sheepishly around the room. 

With an apologetic look at Blair, Adam slid off the bed, moving shyly into his lover’s arms with his head lowered in acquiescence and perhaps a touch of shame. 

“I’m sorry, Jake” he whispered.  “I didn’t mean to make a scene.  I was just so pleased to see Blair so well....”   

Mercifully unaware of Jim’s less-than-happy glowering reaction to this statement, Jake replied saying softly “No, baby, it’s nothing you’ve done, I swear.  I just need you to myself for a bit.  Call me selfish, but I want to keep you close.  You OK with that?” 

At Adam’s nod and small smile, he looked up again at the Cascade pair. 

“Despite everything, guys, it’s been a real pleasure to see you here in Cascade.  I’m hoping that it won’t be years until we can have a proper vacation with you, minus the theatricals of course.  However, before we go, there’s something I’d really like to discuss if you’re up to it Blair?  Adam let slip something about ‘heightened senses’ or something, and I have to say that, in retrospect, there were a few pretty remarkable things I witnessed also?” glancing at Jim - “And something about the ‘tribal family’ thing?” 

Exchanging smiling glances with Jim, and with a conspiratorial wink at Adam, Blair settled himself snugly against his pillows and began............

**_The End_ ** **_._ **


End file.
